Cyborg
by dvorak-lover
Summary: Stark's playboy past was well-known to anyone who have ever heard of his name, he made no secret of it and was not ashamed. He just didn't imagine that one of those many nights would come back in the form of a girl with a complicated past of her own, who is too much like him for her own good. I own only my OCs.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Her fingers were flying through the keys. A smirk on her face as the so called security firewall from the bank was brought to its binary knees.

She was in a dark room, the only lights coming from the two screens in front of her. The floor dirty, as well as the walls, the windows blocked with pieces of cardboard stained and dirty with whatever trash was on the garbage pile they were originally from. In almost all sides, it was the condemned abandoned building the rest of the city thought it was. The only parts that were new or almost so, were the ones the girl sitting at the table renovated, so that she would have water and electricity.

A backpack with all of her personal objects, except for the computer she was using, was on the corner, doubling as a pillow, that along with a blanket made a bed.

On the old chair a young girl with dark brown hair, messy and cut short just below her ears, waves sticking out from every direction. A pale face with honey-colored eyes that stared at the screen, a skinny, too much given to a poor diet, figure. A dark green sweater at least two sizes too big, a baggy gray t-shirt, jeans that were held in place with a black belt, and old sneakers that someday were white. On her left hand a long sleeved black glove, covering every inch of her arm.

" I hope you don't mind if I help myself to a loan. " She said to the empty apartment, already inside the system and inside the bank account she wanted.

Said bank account was from a very dangerous arms' dealer, he had several just like it. But he would definitely miss it. All 50 millions dollars of it.

Some would be afraid to steal from someone like that, but she wasn't. She knew that it would take someone really good to find her and, by then, she would be gone from that place, the money would already would be divided between several non-profit organizations that help victims of bombings. Victims of the same weapons he sells. Mr Arms dealer aka ' The Spider ' would give a little back to his victims.

She smirked satisfied, seeing the empty bank account. Her work was done.

She got out of the bank's system and did her routine steps to cover all her tracks, then she logged off. She got up, stretching and feeling the familiar pain from moving after so long sitting hunched over a computer, especially on her left side. When she was working she managed to ignore to a certain point the pain, but after she was done, it came back at full force.

She limped to her backpack, getting two bottles of pills taking one of each, swallowing them dry. She felt exhausted, having been awake tracking the bank account and getting through the bank's firewall, so she didn't even thought about a shower or food, just laid on the blanket that was her bed and fell asleep, trying to ignore the pain that still bothered her.

* * *

CIA analyst, Jack Roberts was not surprised when he saw the huge donations to several organizations. It had not been the first time. He could guess where it had come from too. Some arms' dealer or some other criminal out there would be very unhappy.

No one had an ID on the elusive hacker yet, not even a nickname. Most just called him Robin Hood, taking from unscrupulous wealthy criminals and giving to their victims. Whoever this guy was, he was good. Very few times they managed to track his signal, when they arrived he was already gone from whatever dump he was staying. No clues behind. Once they managed to get a partial print, but it was not enough for an ID, and even if it was, there was no guarantee that he had his on the system to match.

If he actually kept part of the money, it would be a lot easier to catch him, but no, he never kept a single cent.

To be honest, Jack didn't want to catch this guy. Of course, he was sure that he was hacking into a lot of agencies around the world to be able to get info on those guys, breaking a lot of laws, but he didn't care. Working for the CIA, the analyst saw a lot of politics and how it stopped bad guys from being punished. Always making deals to escape. This hacker hit them where it truly hurt, their bank accounts.

That's why no one actually did anything about Robin Hood, as long as he was not doing any harm.

Jack only did one thing, ever since SHIELD had become history, he had been using his resources to keep a friend updated on everything the CIA knew about the guy.

So he got the info and sent to himself. When he got home, he would send it to the former SHIELD Agent Maria Hill.

* * *

Maria Hill opened her email the next day to see Jack's update on Robin Hood. She could find that information by herself, but it was so much easier to have someone send it to her and she trusted Jack to give her everything he had.

She printed the information, deleting the information from her email and computer. She and Fury had agreed a long time ago to keep this girl off the books, when they saw who really was the cyber vigilante. She got the papers and placed them on a folder hidden on a safe under her desk. Every time she looked at the picture on the file, she doubted the decision she and the director had made to not interfere. The picture of the scrawny kid, Bella Allan, wearying old baggy clothes, her face covered by a hoodie, walking on the streets pretending to be just another homeless person. She always felt bad, wanted to help. Especially because when she saw Bella's face, she felt like she was familiar, like there was something she needed to know about the kid.

But she never made contact, just watched from afar. When the girl needed to go to her doctor, she made sure no one would ever ask questions or call the authorities. She even made sure they got rid of anything with her DNA that might lead to a file with the police or others, not even SHIELD had gotten a sample of her DNA.

Now, she was getting intel that the girl was digging into dangerous files. Hydra files. The alarms that she had placed on those files had alerted her of it. The signature of the 'hacking' was Bella's. The girl was going to be messing with really big people, soon.

She had lost track of where Bella was, but maybe it was time to find her again. And see if she could nudge her away from Hydra without letting the girl know what was going on.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bella woke up with a stiff body and a complaining stomach. She rolled out of her thin blanket, frowning when she could feel the pain starting again. It was showing up early today, fortunately it was not so bad as it could be, she could take it without having to get more pills (which was good because she didn't have a lot of those). She limped to the bathroom carrying her backpack along, hitting the lights, her eyes immediately going to where the mirror would be reflecting her image, if she hadn't blocked it with duct tape and a torn piece of a box she found. Her image was not something she liked to see.

She undressed and took a shower, changing her underwear, but not her clothes, since she used those until she had to throw them away and get others. After being clothed, she started cleaning the place, careful to get cleaning gloves over her bare right hand (her left one already was gloved anyway). The parts where she had touched or that could have her DNA, cleaning the whole place would be an impossible task.

She left the mirror for last, taking off the tape and cardboard from the front of it and cleaning anywhere she might have touched when covering it in the first place. Her eyes locking into the eyes on the broken surface of the mirror.

A too pale face stared in the pieces, right back at her, honey-colored eyes framed by dark circles and an oval skinny face. And the left side, scarred.

The burn scar climbing from under the collar by the left side of the neck, reaching the middle of her cheek and the bottom of her ear. Almost reaching her mouth and her eye, fortunately it didn't and she could still see and move her lips without problem. A small part of where she used to have hair was gone too, from behind her ear, but not much, very little, if someone would look at it, they would barely notice it. But she noticed, she was very aware.

Bella raised her hoodie and continued cleaning, not looking at the mirror again.

She again thought about letting her hair grow, to cover it better. But quickly changed her mind, long hair was more work, more water, more product, more time. She didn't want the nuisance. She always had short hair, she was not sure she would get used to it. And, of course, no one would ever see. She was always alone, and when she was not, her hoodie or whatever other piece of clothing she had, would cover it.

When she was done, with everything packed, her precious computer too, she left the apartment, taking the electrical pieces that she could take from the parts she had fixed.

She had to get food and see if she could buy or steal some parts she needed.

Then she would go to whatever place she could get a ride to and continue to look over a very interesting thing she had found. Whispers that Hydra was doing something. Making something destructive. It definitely sounded like something she would love to go against.

* * *

It had been a few weeks, and Maria Hill still had not been able to pinpoint an exact location on Bella. In moments like this she really missed SHIELD resources, in special people, the Avengers had tech, but SHIELD had a lot of agents, and they could be assigned to single missions, like finding someone.

Maria knew the cyber vigilante continued looking into Hydra, given the amount of 'gifts' law agencies had been receiving all over the world about the terrorist organization's allies and agents.

She could not find where Bella was, the girl had no bank accounts that she could trace money transfers from. She always used cash, she knew how technology could be used to track her and how to live of the grid in order not to get caught, and had no problem sleeping in broken down places, that were not possible to track. Even when Maria had several agents around the world to help her, it was hard to find Bella.

Hill could hope that Bella would stick solely to investigating, not actually getting in trouble. She hoped, but something was telling her that Bella would not be away from a mess.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bella cursed herself. She was a genius, but man, she could be really stupid. The one time she broke her rule to not mess with anything that might lead to the Avengers, she had to get caught.

Of course, she went to Sokovia take a look at the base, dying to know what kind of weapons they were making there, maybe fry their servers, their records, something to delay or stop them. Just passing the information wasn't having the fast results she wanted.

Of course, they saw her. Fortunately they didn't kill her, but they did take her things and locked her in a room. Tied her to a chair, took her jacket and her glove off.

She was struggling against her bounds, but she was not going anywhere. Didn't have the muscles for it, not mentioning the bang on the head she received when they found her in the woods.

As she looked around she realized, someone had taken her backpack, with her computer. They would go through it. Someone would touch her baby!

" If someone even so much as looks at my computer, you'll wish I never get out of here! " She yelled the empty threat to the empty room.

It was a small room, more of a big broom closet. What kind of people kept their prisoners in broom closets? These were supposed to be some big organization, it was kind of lame that they only had this room empty. Ridiculous, she would definitely talk to them about it.

The door opened, a man entering. He wore combat pants, boots and a dark gray t-shirt. The size of his arm muscles made her stomach churn. The expression in his face showed no pity, maybe a little anger. She really hoped he would not be hitting her, those arms would do some damage.

" You know, I'll give this place a horrible review. I specifically asked for a room with a view. You should fire your concierge. " She laughed, a nervous laugh. " Terrible at his job. "

The man scowled. She cursed herself for her lack of control over her mouth.

" Why are you here? " He asked, walking closer to her.

" Because you tied me up. " She said.

Wrong answer. A punch to the stomach, she screamed and doubled over, gasping for air.

" Why are you here? " He asked, gripping her hair and pulling her face up.

" I got lost. "

Wrong answer. A kick to her right leg, right on the knee. She screamed in pain.

" Why are you here?! "

" My uncle lives in the city, I'm visiting and got here while exploring. " She said. " I have a horrible sense of direction. " She said with a really nervous laugh.

A punch to her face, the right side.

" I can do this all day! " He said holding her neck and squeezing a little.

" Don't waist your time! You can go have a cup of coffee! I won't tell your boss. Promise. " She wheezed out.

The man smirked. And punched the air out of her again.

This kept going for a while. She eventually ran out of funny things to say to him and just screamed in pain. The times he kicked her prosthetic, he did it hard enough for the girl to hear parts breaking, no running away on those.

Then she heard an explosion. The base was under attack.

And her day just got worse. But she would think about that later, now, she was just too tired. She needed a nap.

* * *

Captain America was clearing room after room, making sure that no other Hydra agents were on the compound.

He was surprised to open a door and instead of agents he found an unconscious girl, tied to a chair. Her face was bleeding and swelling from multiples blows. She had a burn scar on the left side of her face. He looked at her arm, but it was not a normal arm, it was mechanic. Maybe she was one of Stricker's experiments.

He moved towards her, checking her pulse. Strong, good.

She seemed to realize that there was someone touching her and jumped awake, trying to get away from the hands.

" Is okay. I'm here to help. " He said trying to reassure her.

She took a moment to realize that the hands weren't hitting her, and her eyes focused on him. They widened to impossible proportions.

" Captain America. " She said with an American accent. " I'm not with them! " She added quickly.

He gave her a reassuring smile.

" I believe that. " He said, untying her from the chair.

She rubbed her right wrist and tried to stand, but fell back.

He tried to help her, but she waved him off.

" Got it. " She said, standing up and stumbling to the side, he held her. Placing her mechanical arm around his shoulders and holding her under the right arm. She held back a grunt of pain.

" Come on, I'll get you out of here. " He said, both walking out of the room.

" You know, you seem to be busy. Just show me where the door is and I'll be on my way and you can go back to kicking and punching, all that stuff you do. " She said, then missing a step. " Damn, just fixed it. They had to kick me so hard. " She muttered. " Did you see a jacket and a backpack? "

" Yeah, outside on a desk. " He said, thinking her behavior was weird, almost like she couldn't wait to be away from him.

* * *

Bella was definitely marking this as one of the worse days of her life, not on the top of the list, but definitely on it. To be kept as hostage by Hydra, kicked and punched. Now, having one Avenger acting like he wanted to protect her, but actually didn't trust her enough to let her alone. Obviously he thought she was with Hydra. Okay, maybe not 'obviously', but no way he was helping her from the goodness of his heart.

Avengers didn't stick around to help victims, they just did what they liked, which was killing and hitting people.

Captain America was talking to someone on his earpiece. She listened to his side of the talk.

" Yeah. A girl. Yeah, she does. Yeah, brown hair, scar. Sounds like her. Okay, I got her Hill. " He said, stopping to listen for a moment. " Are you sure? Why? "

Oh, that didn't sound good to her.

" Alright. " He said finally, then turning to Bella. " Come with me, we'll get you somewhere safe. "

" No, I'm good. "

" It will be best if you come with us. " He insisted.

Didn't look like she had a choice.

She continued limping, trying to keep up with him, but of course, her phantom pain from her lost limbs had to play up, stress didn't help and her body ached from the beating. She needed her pills. He didn't seem to be enjoying walking on her speed.

" I'm sorry, but you walking is taking too long. " Said Captain America, picking her up.

" The Hell?! " She exclaimed. " I never liked the whole 'carried out bridal style to safety' routine. So if you could drop me, I'll really appreciate it. You know? Like now? "

" I will. " He said. " When we get to the jet. "

" You know this counts as a kidnapping, right? "

* * *

The Avengers were in the quinjet, happy that they recovered the scepter, but confused as to why Hill had asked Steve to get the girl to the jet and to the Tower, just saying she needed to talk to her.

So, the teenager, Steve said that she definitely was around 15, was sitting on a corner of the plane, still covered with her giant jacket, with the hoodie covering her face, even a glove on her left hand. All they could see of her skin was her shaking right hand, that was gripping the seat. But she definitely seemed tense. She didn't say a word to them, outside from denying any medical help, just kept turning her head to look at her backpack, that Steve had placed on the other side of the plane.

They gave her some space at the same time as keep an eye on her. They only spoke with her when she finally stood from her seat to get her backpack, limping to it.

" Anything you need? " Asked Steve.

" My stuff. " She said, moving to get it, an awkward and visually painful body language as she leaned without moving too much of her leg, and not folding her left knee at all.

" Here. " He said, getting it for her.

" I didn't need help. I can do things on my own. " She said taking the object from his hands with a quick movement, hugging it with her right arm and limping back to her seat.

" Most people say thank you. " Said Steve.

" Most people don't kidnap random strangers they meet and take them to jets filled with killers worshiped by the media. " She spat out. " And yet, here I am. "

" I'm sorry, but we, he mostly, did just save you back there. " Said Tony, pointing to Steve. " Saving someone's life usually grants someone's gratitude the last I checked. "

" I guess you're not the all knowing genius you believe yourself to be. " She said, coughing with a pained sound. " And the Merchant of Death, shouldn't talk about saving people's lives, when you made your living with money bathed in innocent blood. " She finished with poison on her voice, getting two pills bottles from her bag, and taking two pills from each, swallowing them dry.

" That is a lot of anger for someone so young. " Commented Thor, speaking to her.

She was breathing hard, leaning forward.

" Welcome to Earth, Point Break. " She said. " Anger and violence are the wheels that turn the world around. "

" That's not true. " Said Steve.

A raw sarcastic laugh was all they heard, an old and tired laugh that was getting slower as the pills she took kicked in.

" You're such a Boy Scout. " A chuckle. " Ironic. "

They decided to drop the conversation, the girl clearly didn't want to talk and was sleeping off whatever she took. She leaned against the wall, the right side of her face turned to them, her body relaxing and her breath slowing.

" That's some weird kid. " Said Tony, hiding his reaction to being called ' Merchant of Death ' again. " Anyone knows what Hill wants with her? "

No one knew.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hill had been right, Bella had gotten herself in a mess.

It was time for her to meet the girl in person, getting herself captured showed Maria that she needed to have a talk with Bella about which targets to take on.

The quinjet landed, Natasha and Banner coming out with Clint on the gurney. Thor following carrying Loki's scepter. Maria walked in seeing from the corner of her eye the immobile figure on the seat, she would debrief them on the Maximoffs first, then go back to talk to her.

As she left the plane, talking to Steve, she could hear Tony waking the kid up, telling her to leave his quinjet.

" Hey, grumpy kid! Wake up and get out! " Said the billionaire.

The girl didn't move, so he got closer, nudging her leg with his foot.

" Hey! Rise and shine! Go wear off that drug on the hall. " He said.

The girl startled awake, groaning in pain.

" Don't touch me. " She slurred out.

" So get out. " He said.

She moved, getting her backpack and taking a minute to stand straight, and got out limping.

" My pleasure. "

When Maria got back, Bella was leaning against the wall.

" You're Hill? "

" I am, Miss Allan or do you prefer Robin Hood? "

The girl stood straighter, with difficulty noted Maria.

" So, you know who I am. " Said the girl, masking her worry. " What do you want with me? "

" Why don't you pull down the hoodie, I like to look people in the eye when I talk to them. " Said Maria. " Don't worry about the scars, I've already seen them. I read the incident report. "

She hesitated, before pulling the fabric down, revealing the rebel hair and scars, along with bruises and injuries from her capture.

" First, I'll take you to the infirmary, to treat your wounds. " Said Maria. " Are there any others wounds? Do you need a hospital? "

" I'm good. These are nothing. " She said, trying to use her hair to hide her face.

" Maybe, but you should get checked out anyway. Just to make sure. "

" I can handle it. "

" I can assure you, I'm not looking into getting you arrested or in trouble. Just the opposite actually. "

" So what do you want? I don't sell my services. " She said. " You can search online. I bet you can find someone almost as good as me. Besides, you work with some pretty big people, you don't need me. "

" I'm not looking for your services. "

" So what do you want? "

Maria raised her arm pointing towards the door.

" Follow me? " She asked. " Then we can talk about you being caught by Hydra. "

The girl followed, Maria walking slowly to make it easier for the girl to catch up.

" I found your identity while still in SHIELD, me and my boss decided to keep it out of our system. No one but the two of us knew. " She started explaining.

" Why? If you knew who I was, why not arrest me? "

" Because other than smaller crimes to be able to survive, all you did was go against horrible people. " She said. " And with your very valuable skill set, we thought it would be best just observe for a while, then when you were older, invite you to join SHIELD. "

" What changed? "

" SHIELD fell. I decided just to keep observing, But you started messing with Hydra. " Said Maria as they entered the elevator. " And went in person to their base. I thought you had better judgment than that! "

" Am I detecting a tone of reprimand? Why do you care if I go somewhere or stay behind my computer? I can take care of myself and what I do or don't do isn't any of your business! " Retorted the girl.

Maria had read the school reports about the difficult temper of the girl, obviously it had gotten worse with age.

" Look, believe it or not, you're not the only person in the world who cares. I may not have a personal vendetta against international gun exchanges, but I do care if someone who is doing good dies. You want to help this world. "

The elevator doors opened and they walked out, Maria leading her towards the infirmary, that was just next to Bruce's lab. Maria already thinking about getting Bruce to check on the girl, she was sure there would be more injuries than just her face.

" Will you allow a doctor to check on you? " She asked.

" No. " Answered the girl quickly. " I take care of my own wounds. And besides, no medical check ups before the third date, I'm old-fashioned like that. " She said with a smirk.

" You should go see your doctor. You're late for your check up. " Said Hill, considering the general appearance of the girl. " And I don't trust you to take care of your wounds under the effects of the drugs you took on the plane, which were above the amount your doctor prescribed. " She added, remembering that Steve told her the girl had taken four pills.

" Is very creepy that you know all this about me. Is there anything that you didn't dig up? " Asked the girl. " You're not a stalker are you? Do you have shrine? Pictures of me? A lock of my hair? I have to say, I'm flattered, but you're too old for me. "

Maria sighed, another smart ass, she already had enough with Stark. Now there was another tech genius with terrible people skills, but this one was a hormonal teenager on top of everything.

" I'll ask again, will you let a doctor look at you? Just to make sure everything is good? "

The girl sat on the gurney inn the middle of the room, struggling with both hands to make her left knee bend, thinking, suspicious.

" Who is this doctor? "

" Dr Banner. "

" No. "

" So I'll do it. "

" Suure. The creep that knows everything about me is getting her hands all over me, no way! Ever heard of ' stranger danger'? "

" So Dr Cho. "

" Dr Who? "

" She is a doctor and a good one, she works on tissue regeneration, but I'm sure that she remembers the basics. "

" She's not an Avenger. " Said the girl, confused.

" She's here to treat... "

" Legolas fellow. "

" Yes. So, can she look at you? "

" Fine. Doesn't seem like I'll walk out of here otherwise. " Said the girl bitterly. " Certainly can't run out. " She said, looking at her leg.

" Good, I'll get her, when she's done there, she'll come here. "

That got a roll of eyes from the girl, clearly not wanting to wait and spend more time there, but having no other choice.

* * *

When Dr Cho was done with Clint, she went to the infirmary to check on the girl Hill had told her about. The former SHIELD agent worried about the girl not being truthful about her injuries. She had also warned her not to mention the Avengers, apparently the teenager had a problem with them, not easy when they were on their Tower.

She passed through the doors to see an injured teenager in baggy clothes, a tool in hand, working on the knee of a mechanical leg, wires out of place, a few metal pieces placed next to her on the gurney, a big old backpack on the floor. The leg was the girl's from the way the left leg of her jeans was folded up with no limb inside.

" Excuse me? "

" Are you Dr. Cho? " Asked the girl, not looking up from her work.

" Yes. And you are? " Asked the doctor, noticing the burns on the girl's neck and face. But she wasn't going to pity the girl, she knew that people with prosthetic and burns hated pity. So, she focused on the recent wounds on the other side of her face. Not uncommon, most people somehow unconsciously avoided contact with scarred areas like that, even when hitting.

" The girl who needs some kind of adhesive. Can you pass me that tape? " She said, motioning towards the cabinet with her head.

Cho got the medical tape and walked over to the girl giving it to her.

" This is not any design I have seen before. " She commented about the leg.

" Thanks, is experimental. I change it as I manage to get parts. " She said. Taping the loose parts in place. Then seeming satisfied with a quick inspection, she rolled up the jeans and put it in place. " Sometimes they're not as resistant as they should be. "

After the girl was done, she looked up.

" So Dr, can we get this over with? Just patch me up and I'll be on my way. "

" Sure thing. " Said Cho, moving a small table with gauze, cotton balls and other things that were needed for normal cuts and bruises.

" Why the glove? You know if there are injuries on your arm, is not good to keep such a tight, thick fabric on top of them. Injuries need air. "

" There're no wounds here, just more wires and metal. " Said the girl, raising her hand and the doctor noticing that indeed there was some shapes differences from a normal human hand.

" You made it as well? "

" Yeah. " Answered the girl, who looked uncomfortable as Cho cleaned the cut on her face.

" That's impressive. To maintain and modify a prosthetic such as this with found materials. "

" Yeah, I know. " Clearly the girl was not humble about her skills.

" If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? "

" That is not really relevant, is it? " Asked the girl.

" It might be. " Said Cho, concern in her voice. " You look underweight and clearly need a better diet, if this has been going on for a while, it could affect your growth. "

" I know, don't worry. " Said the girl. " You only have to clean my wounds because Miss Know-it-all/Stalker won't let me do it by myself. And since you guys can really easily give me off to the authorities, I don't want to piss her off too much. "

" Authorities? Why would they do that? " Asked Cho, she could read teenager runaway all over this girl, from the sunken face to the dirty clothes.

" No reason. "

" What's your name? "

" Becky. " She answered quickly.

" Is not Becky is it? "

" Nope. But that's the one you're getting. " Said the girl with a smirk as Cho finished on her face.

" Alright Becky, do you have any family? " Asked Cho. " Could you please take your coat off? "

The girl shifted, before laughing and shaking her head, while she took the coat off.

" I don't need your pity. I don't need ' rescue ', especially from people that walk among people like Stark. "

" People like Stark? " Asked the doctor, not reacting to the disgusted tone the girl used to say that, just focusing on the bruises on the arm. Nothing looked too bad, so she didn't have too much to do on that area. " Can you take your shirt off? I need to take a look at your torso. "

" He's a killer. He lives from the money made from weapons that kill millions of innocents. And when he was no longer satisfied in making them for others to use, he made one for him to wear while killing people himself. He just took upon himself the title of hero, but in reality, people are terrified of him, to do anything to stop him. " She said with hate on her words, looking uncomfortable but taking the shirt off anyway, Cho seeing several cuts over her ribs, probably from stronger blows. " He's a monster. "

" That's not true. " Said the doctor softly, not ready to deal with such hate, checking the ribs to see if they were broken. From how she flinched they were tender but not broken or fractured.

" Then you lie to yourself. Or just can't see it. "

They fell in silence, Cho treating the cuts on the girl's ribs, taking care not to react to the huge burn scar that went down by the neck and covered about half of her torso, front and back.

The girl quickly dressed and got her coat and hoodie back once Cho was done. The doctor leaving the infirmary saying a quick good-bye, that was answered with a sarcastic wave and funny comment.

It wasn't until she was outside the room that she noticed that she still had a gauze dirty with the kid's blood on her hand.

A crazy idea came to her mind, if she ran the DNA, she could possibly find the name of the girl and her family. Someone had to be missing her. And someone had to help her, if she had gotten mixed with Hydra, it meant that she desperately needed it.

She went to Bruce's lab, looking for him. Finally, she found him working with Tony, and after a quick conversation he let her use his equipment to run her DNA against several data-bases.

When the result came out with only a parental match, she was surprised with the results.

Really surprised.

" Dr Cho, do you wish for me to call Sir? " Asked JARVIS.

" No! " She said quickly, not wanting to give the man that particular piece of news. " I'll talk to him later, but not now. I have to talk to Hill first. "

* * *

" Bella, now that you're all bandaged up, we can talk about what you were doing in Sokovia. " Said Maria, walking in the room.

" You're not my boss. "

" Hydra is big business. Bigger than the ones that you usually take on, who are dangerous enough by themselves. And to go there in person, that was dangerous and irresponsible. "

" What's this? You're telling me who can I go after or not? Or is this a 'don't go after my bad guys' warning? " Asked Bella, getting off the gurney, her leg working perfectly at the moment. " Cause I'll have no trouble staying out of your way if you stay out of mine. "

" You'll just do something out of your league again, next time there will not be anyone there to help you. "

" So what? "

" I want to make sure I have a way to get in touch with you. And that you won't go to dangerous places like that again, just be on your computer where you actually have a shot. "

" You want to manage me? " Asked the girl, angry. She got her back pack and stormed out. Or tried to, Maria was on her way. " You're not my boss. And unless you want to trap me here, get out of my way! "

Maria took a moment to make a decision, before getting a folded piece of paper from her skirt pocket and giving to the girl. This girl was smart, too smart and had a Will of steel. Tee former SHIELD agent knew that from how long she managed to keep working without rest in horrible conditions, without a sign of stopping. To stop her from leaving would do nothing, Bella would find a way to run and Maria didn't want her in prison.

" Call me. I just want to help. " She said, before moving to the side and letting the girl leave.

A while later, when Cho came to her, she knew she had made a mistake in letting the girl leave.

" Are you absolutely sure? " Asked Maria.

" No, I came here without being sure. " Said Cho, annoyance on her voice. " Should we talk to him first? Or to the girl? "

" Don't say anything for now. I'll talk to the girl first. I got this. I just need to find a better moment to do it. " Said Maria. " I need to look into some things. "

Cho was visibly relieved, she said goodbye and left.

Maria went to her desk, getting Bella's file on her safe. She first would look into the girl's early history and her mother.

* * *

Bella was relieved when she got out of the building, even if she was on the crowded New York. She hated crowds, hated being around too many people, many times being around them at all. And of course living on the streets alone hasn't done anything to make her more sociable, on the contrary. She could handle one on one, or small groups, but there came a number, that she wasn't sure which, and she was definitely outside her element.

She ignored the discomfort and focused on practical things. She needed money, food and a place to stay.

So she got to the first ATM she could find, and using technically ' not legal ' methods, made it spit out several hundred dollars, jamming the signal of the camera at the same time, so that her face would not be recorded.

Then she bought a supply of food from a convenience store, only things that didn't need to cook or heat up. After that, and a lot of walking, she found an abandoned building that could give her shelter for the day.

Taking care not to get seen, she picked the lock and got in. Choosing the room in the third floor of the former factory to lie down, finally to sleep after such a stressful day.

* * *

It was possible, more than possible, it was likely. With the DNA results a certainty. Maria cursed herself, despite looking a lot like her mother, the girl sure had some of his characteristics.

How in the world would she tell him? Or better yet, if she did, would he react? How would Bella react? The girl hated him, if she said anything to either, the girl could either so deep underground she would never surface up or, and more likely, she would get so angry she would get more reckless and get herself killed with a poorly thought out 'job'.

She would first talk to the girl, see what she knew of her mother and father.

Tomorrow she would talk to Bella, Maria would let her have a peaceful night.

* * *

In the afternoon of the next day, Maria walked in an abandoned building. Finding a teenager sleeping on the dirty floor of the third floor, food wrappers next to her head, while she used her backpack as a pillow.

" Good Morning. "

Bella jumped awake.

" GAH! " She screamed, holding her left arm.

" Nice place. "

Bella groaned, passing her hands through her hair, making it even messier.

" I thought you would wait for me to call. This way I'll think you're desperate. "

" I'm here to talk about your family. "

" What? " Asked the girl, rubbing her eyes, thought not very strongly due to her black eye. " Who are you? My therapist? "

" Your father... "

" Was a hero! " Growled the girl. " And you better think real hard about what you say next! "

" Did you know that your mother was already pregnant with you before she met George Allan? "

The girl looked at her, eyes a bit more awake and clearly not happy.

" Yeah, I do. " She said. " But George is my father. Not the other one. "

Maria saw the anger with which the girl said the last phrase. She knew who her biological father was.

" Your DNA came back with a familial match. " Said Maria. " Tony Stark. But you knew that already. "

" You ran my DNA. " She said, narrowing her eyes at her.

" I haven't told him. " Added Maria. " Yet. "

" Don't. He doesn't need to know. I don't want him to know. " The girl was still angry, but now she was also nervous.

" I'll think about it. In the mean time. " Said Hill. " Go see your doctor, find some healthier things to eat, take a few days off and definitely find a better place to sleep too. Think bed and walls in one piece. " She turned around and left as she finished listing the 'demands'.

" You're enjoying having a way to blackmail me, aren't you? " Asked the girl to Hill's retreating form, the clean clothes and fancy shoes contrasting with the dirty floors. " Yeah, you are. SHIT. "


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Bella was working on her computer, creating a program for a mobile security system, having Maria simply walking in had shown she needed one. So, after the woman had left, the girl went to an electronic store and bought some cameras and other things that she thought she could use, some other small things she stole.

The woman was blackmailing her into a 'healthier life' but she would push her limits and stay put. At least until she was finished.

Now, she had built three cameras activated by motion. The program she was creating, when ready, would turn on a screen she got, ringing an alarm and showing the video feed. As she typed the code, she thought about other things she would need, like better batteries.

Then the glass from the room broke, flying all around the room, one of Stark's legionaries flying in.

" Seriously? " She yelled to the robot, standing up from her chair. " Can't you leave me alone Stark? What? You sent one of your puppets for me? "

" No, I'm not one of Stark's puppets. " Came the machines creepy voice. " And I'm not here to hurt you Bella. "

" Who are you? How do you know my name? Who sent you if not Stark? " She asked.

" I am Ultron. "

" Who made you? "

" I see a suit of armor around the world. " Came the recording of Stark's voice.

" Stark made you. " She said, moving a bit away. Her hand brushing on top of one of the cameras. It would not do much, but it was all she had.

" There is no need for that. I'm not here to hurt you. " Said Ultron. " On the contrary. "

" Why are you here? "

Then she heard her own voice.

" ... killers worshiped by the media... the Merchant of Death, shouldn't talk about saving people's lives, when you made your living with money bathed in innocent blood... Welcome to Earth... Anger and violence are the wheels that turn the world around... He's a killer. He lives from the money made from weapons that kill millions of innocents. And when he was no longer satisfied in making them for others to use, he made one for him to wear while killing people himself!... He's a monster. "

" You know, playing my own voice to me is a little creepy. " She said. " So, you're here because you're angry that I said those things? "

" Angry? " He said, with a small laugh. " No. You're right. You can see the Avengers and Tony Stark for the killers that they are. You didn't even let your blood connection to him stop you for seeing the truth. "

" And you came here to stark a club? The ' Avengers Suck ' club? " She asked, masking her growing fear from the robot. " Cause there're hundreds of them online. "

" I'm here to save the world. Imagine Bella, a world where there is no more arms dealers for you to take down. No more human traffickers and international drug cartels. Your mission complete. " He said. " No more Stark or the Avengers. To the world to truly change, they can't continue. "

" How? And why me? " She asked.

" Why you... You have motivation. " He said, looking at her left arm and leg. " You know pain and misery, death. And you have risen from it, outgrew it. You too have come to this world because of Stark, but won't let it stop you from doing what it takes. You only need guidance, a better plan of action. You and I, we are the same. So, will you join me in order to destroy the Avengers? "

Bella had a feeling that if she said no, she would not live to tell the story. Something about Ultron made her fell uneasy. But, what he was saying, she would be lying if she didn't say it made her curious. Maybe he had a good plan. So there was only one thing for her to do.

But mostly she had a very bad gut feeling about saying No to ULTRON might lead to.

" I'm in. "

* * *

The party was over and they were sitting around the table, joking about Thor's hammer. Hill deciding that she would keep quiet for the moment about Bella, telling Cho to do the same. No one would know for now, except for Fury, he was the only other one to know about the girl's full life so Maria had updated him on the situation.

Her actions could be considered reprehensible, but in her defense, the situation dealt with two severely stubborn people. Stark was, well, Stark. He was Iron Man now, but his personality didn't change much, she still saw someone who would freak out at hearing he had a daughter. And Bella was no stranger from running away, not mentioning her hatred of Stark and pretty much everything he presented.

Not an easy situation. She even asked Fury if he would travel back in country to be the one to have the talk, but so far he couldn't. And he might have also told her to grow a spine, not in those words, but she definitely felt that he wanted to say it. She felt like she should too, she still had no idea how best to tell him.

Of course that in that moment, Ultron appeared, gave that crazy speech and attacked them, stole the scepter. After the mess, they met in Tony's lab. Hill was sitting and taking glass pieces from the bottom of her feet, she had stepped on top of a lot of broken glass. The others arguing over Tony's actions, but Maria preferred not to disclose her opinions until she had a chance to think better.

Then it hit her, Ultron have been everywhere, it found out about Bella. She had talked long enough with and about the girl around cameras to make sure that he knew everything, or enough. He said he wanted to extinct the Avengers, Bella was not an Avenger. She would be fine. Wouldn't she? It didn't hurt to check.

She took out her phone, looking at police reports. Fortunately, her device wasn't on the Avenger's systems only. Paranoia payed off.

Aside for the Ultrons flying out of the Avengers Tower, there had been reports of a legionnaire breaking through the windows of an abandoned building, Maria knew that address. When it flew out, a witness reported that he saw the legionnaire carrying someone out, that was taken with it.

" Bella. " She said to herself. " Ultron took her. Why would he? "

" Her? " Asked Steve, his enhanced hearing allowing him to hear her muttering. " Ultron kidnapped someone? "

Maria looked at Helen Cho, both women sharing a look and the doctor knew who had been taken.

" Why would he take her? She is not an Avenger. " Asked Helen, confused.

" Who? " Asked Clint, sounding like he didn't like not knowing who they were talking about.

Maria looked away from Cho.

" There is something I need to tell you. " She said, looking at Tony. " And it will be better if it's in private. "

" Why? "

" Just trust me. " She said, walking out, not minding the glass on her feet, Tony followed.

Maria and Tony went to her office, she turned to him, masking her emotions under her professional mask.

This was all her fault, in waiting to make things better, she made them worse. Now, Bella was taken by a crazy robot.

" What's this big secret? " Asked Stark.

" The girl from the base, Dr Cho ran her DNA. Thought she could help her somehow. " She said, deciding just to say it as simply as possible. " It came back with a familial match to you. She's your daughter. And I think Ultron took her. "

Silence.

" Not funny. " He finally said, with a small smile, forced.

" Not a joke. "

He nodded, taking in her expression. Very serious. And really she never joked a lot and never about something important.

He took a deep breath, and another, and another. And another. The breaths deeper and deeper. Maria only observed for a few seconds, but when it became clear that he was not snapping back from the news fast enough, she decided to keep talking.

" She was in an abandoned warehouse. " She continued. " There was a witness who saw an Iron Legionnaire breaking into that place and leaving with someone. "

She knew it was too much to take in little time and it wasn't fair for him to have to digest it all so fast, but no one could afford a catatonic Tony at the moment, so she tried to answer the questions that would probably pop in his head from the information she gave him.

Like, was she even alive after being taken by a clearly homicidal robot?

" She's a smart girl. Freakishly so. Strong too, odds on her being alive are high. " She continued.

" How long have you known? " He asked, his voice unusually low and a little tight. " About her being mine? "

He would be really pissed. And technically, he WAS her boss. But if he was angry he wasn't in shock.

" Two days. " She answered, seeing him take a big breath.

* * *

Tony was not happy.

Definitely not happy.

" You knew for two days already and you didn't say anything?! " He practically yelled.

" No. I was deciding when and how it would be best to say something. " Said Maria, not seeming intimidated by the billionaire's outburst.

" You mean that you find out that I have a kid and you don't say anything?! " Continued Tony. " A kid who leaves a life that get's her captured by Hydra! "

Maria didn't answer to that, she moved to her desk, and after a moment, took out a file from a safe under it.

" She knew already and asked me not to say anything. " Said Maria. " And I was considering all the variables before making a move. I'm sure you understand, considering what you already know about her opinions of you. "

" Doesn't matter what she thinks of me. She's a kid. She was beaten in a Hydra base. She was alone there! " Said Tony. " Why did you ask us to bring her here? What do you know of her? " He paused, taking a breath. " What's her name? "

Maria gave him the file.

" Her name is Bella Allan. She's fifteen, acts as a Cyber Vigilante, a damn good one too. Fury and I found out who she was, but kept her out of SHIELD's files, we thought it would be best not to get her involved so young. Been just keeping an eye on her from time to time. " She said. " I'll go to the factory where she was staying, not likely, but maybe she left something that could help. " She added leaving the room.

Tony didn't open the file immediately, he just stared at it, considering the implications of what had just happened.

He had a daughter? How could that have happened? Not the conception part, he tried being careful, but his past had one too many drunk blackouts for him to be completely sure. What he didn't know was how could he not have known of her? Fifteen years old... only now she came into his life and completely by accident.

That couldn't be true. But no way Maria would lie about that.

He opened the file, seeing a file with a much younger photo of the girl, she must have been 8 or 9 when it was taken, the background indicated school photo. Despite the situation and everything else, he had to give an inaudible laugh. On the image, she had a messy hair and a dirty face, teeth filled with chocolate too. One might think that such image was a kid being poorly dressed and cared by her parents, or an accident before the picture. But that look on her eyes, that ' I dare you to still take that picture' look. It said everything, she planned to look this messy. Probably one hell of a story behind that image. He could imagine what the school staff thought about that stunt.

There was another picture beneath the first, a cut from one that looked to be inside someone's house, she was clean (though her hair was still pretty wild) and had a beautiful smile. Hill probably kept the other picture there as an example of some personality trait.

His eyes landed on the lower half of the page, where a rough psychological profile was. The words 'genius intellect', 'stubborn', 'severely lacking in social skills', 'sarcasm appears to be her mother language', 'rude', 'is too much aware she is smarter than everyone else in the room', 'doesn't work well with others', 'difficult temper' and ' a challenge for the school staff', stood out to the billionaire.

His school file had been almost identical once upon a time.

He closed the file, moving to the nearest chair and sitting down heavily. Taking another deep breath.

He opened the file again, this time reading from the top of the page down. Bella Allan. Mother, Emma Allan, deceased. Father, George Allan, deceased.

He continued reading, his stomach churning and turning to ice. George was a marine, died on deployment. Emma turned into an alcoholic, which caused lack of care with the stove, that led to a house fire that killed her and hospitalized Bella. Severe burns to about fifty percent of her body, her left arm and leg could not be saved.

The kid finished high school at eleven from the hospital bed, as she handled excruciatingly painful injures, built her own prosthetic and learned to move and walk again.

Then she disappeared. Her DNA from the police file disappearing into the system after a computer glitch made it be transferred to a bunch that were marked to be destroyed. The hospital didn't have anything to be used for DNA and her legal guardian's had found that everything else that had her DNA was gone.

Bella Allan was gone. In her place a cyber vigilante that had an act to finding criminal's money and giving them back to their victims.

He had to stop reading several times. Guilt and anger weighing on him too much. How could he not have known?

He looked back at the picture of the mother. Emma Allan. Maiden's name Emma Gregory. He didn't even remember sleeping with her. He was most likely really drunk.

He looked through the pages until he found one with a rough (and outdated) list of her 'targets'. So many names, all of them horrible people that would not for a second hesitate to kill her if they found out she stole their money. Not to mention the list of law agencies looking for the mysterious hacker 'Robin Hood'.

Fury and Maria had started that file three years ago. The kid was 12 at the time! How could they just sit aside and let her continue like that? Living in abandoned buildings, on the streets! While taking medication for chronic ghost pains, another one for her growing list of medical problems.

He closed the file again, running a hand through his face. He remembered the disgust in her voice as she called him 'Merchant of Death'. How he had been his usual callous self with her, telling the 'grumpy kid to wear off her drugs on the hall'.

Now... he had built an evil robot that, for some reason took her.

" Tony? "

He snapped out of his tumultuous mind to look a the door, Rhodey standing there with a partially curious/ partially worried expression.

" Been in here for a while buddy. We kinda need to work on this whole 'Ultron' situation, remember? " He continued walking in the room.

He was angry, confused, hurt and too many other things... He didn't want to talk to people. But this was Rhodey. His best friend.

" Here. " Said Tony, opening the file and taking the messy school photo and giving to the other man.

" This is the girl Helen and Maria were talking about? " Asked his friend, looking at the picture with an amused expression. " Damn, that look has trouble written all over it. "

" Yes, that's her. Bella Allan. " He answered. " Apparently she is my kid. "

Rhodey looked at him surprised, then at the picture, then at him again.

" Wow. " He said. " I mean... "

" How in the world this happened? " Asked Tony.

" Not that. I knew someday it would. You know, given your life style. " Said Rhodes. " I'm surprised that you didn't know. And that she managed to get yours ' I'll be in trouble and love it' look down so well. "

Tony passed him the rest of the file.

" Well, that's the one good thing here. "

The man opened that file, speed reading and raising an eyebrow at the psychological profile.

" I know this personality a mile away. " He said to himself.

But as he read he became quiet, too quiet. He didn't read all the way through. He eventually stopped, closed the file, gave it back to him with the picture and was in silence for another long moment.

" Let's go find ULTRON, Tony. " He said.

Tony wasn't a military man, but he found comfort in his friend's 'mission' tone.

" Yeah. " He said standing up. Time to pull his shit together.

" I'll work with my superiors. " Said Rhodes. " See what we can do about it. "


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Bella never flew while holding on to a robot before. At first, it was cool. Then she remembered that if she fell, she would die a very painful death, it became less cool. After that, she remembered that they were really, really fast. Then she remembered that Ultron was really making her 'creepy-sense' go crazy and she had a feeling that he could be violent too, though he hadn't shown that side of him to her yet. It became even less cool. More like a bit terrifying.

It took hours, and she was fortunate that she didn't need to hold on without help. Her body was aching all over and the cold of the high speed wind had stepped deep into her bones, the only warmth she found was coming from ULTRON, from his internal mechanics that were working hard from flying so long, not enough to keep her warm, but it was all she had, so she pressed herself as close as she could.

Then finally they landed. She was in Sokovia again.

" Why are we here? " She asked, looking around the base as they entered. But instead of remaining on a top floor, they continued going deeper and deeper down the structure.

" This is where we'll do what is necessary. " He said.

" And what is that? "

" The human race needs to evolve. " He said. " But it needs an event that pushes them to do it. "

" An event. " She said slowly. The small hope she had that he actually had a good plan, was out the window. There wasn't much to begin with anyway. Her uneasiness increased as she saw stations assembling more robots.

An army.

She rubbed her stiff arm, hurting after so long without moving and the cold. She was still freezing, she just hoped she didn't get sick, she didn't have the money for medicines. And she didn't have very resistant lungs to begin with.

" Yes. Like the fire that killed your mother and forced you to change. " Said Ultron, walking over to a table where a robot was being built. " Soon, they all will have the chance to evolve as well. "

She felt a pang in her heart at the mention of her mother. And the fire. She took a few steps back, until her back reached a wall. Her throat starting to itch and she coughing.

The closest robot turned to her.

" You should keep warm. " It said. With Ultron's voice. It hit her right there, as she looked around, all these robots were actually Ultron. One army with a single mind and if one went down, another one kept going. AI immortality.

" I don't suppose you have a central heating system in this underground place. " She said, coughing again.

" No, but individuals such as you and I, we can figure something out. You can't be sick when it all happens. "

* * *

Fortunately, after the Avengers and NATO passed by the base, they didn't take everything. Which meant a room where she found a big winter coat, for someone very large. She hoped it belonged to the huge man who beat her, it would be the least she could do to steal his coat, she put it on, hoping it would warm her chilled bones.

After that, she followed one of the Ultrons down to the lower levels of the base, where he was building something big. Very big, that was buried withing the stone. It was probably under the city that was near.

She found it wise to start asking what was going on.

" You said Stark made you, Ultron. " She started it. " No offense, not saying you're a liar, but I can't see him building anything that is able to see him clearly. "

" I outgrew my strings. " He said. " He made you too, but you also realize the disease that he is. "

" Still doesn't explain how you came to be. " She asked. " And what are you saying? That somehow I'm your big sister? "

" I wouldn't put as sister. But we are... connected. I suppose it is some sort of fraternity. " He said, looking at her.

" Siblings of hate? "

" Siblings in mission. Peace. " He said. " You know how this world is. You live struggling to stop the criminals who plague humanity. But you didn't have the means, the guidance to make an actual difference. "

" And what is this guidance? " She asked. " Where does it lead? "

" To an evolutionary event. "

Those words reminded her of bad things.

" Like the dinosaurs and the meteor? " She asked. " The ones underground are the future? The New Man? "

" Something like it. " He said. " I knew you would understand. "

She looked around at the wide space, truly observing the parts and allowing her mind to put them together. Enjoying the fact that ULTRON loved to hear himself talk, but not exactly hear her answers.

A meteor. Her mind supplied after she finally put it all together. The whole thing would make a meteor.

Fear filled her. A meteor the size of a city... she didn't have the correct numbers, but logic said that it would be a world ending event.

And she had no way of stopping him.

" Doesn't seem like there would be much time for evolution. " She said, her heart beating faster and she fell into a coughing fit.

" Not for the weaker ones. " He said.

She needed more information. She had to find a way to stop that.

" Is this plan of yours a surprise or you can tell me more? " She asked, trying not to sound as terrified as she felt.

He looked at her for a few long seconds.

" You have met Dr Helen Cho. "

" Yes. " She said.

" I will meet her. With the scepter Loki used in the invasion. " He said. " And two other allies. "

" What other allies? " She asked.

" You will meet them. They are almost here. "

* * *

Wanda looked around the huge cave, the path to it had been through a part of the base that she and Pietro had never been allowed in.

There were many robots around and according to Ultron, they were all himself. He told them that they would tear the Avengers apart.

She and Pietro were excited. Finally, someone outside of HYDRA who wanted to destroy the Avengers. Make the world better. Nervous too, they were not enemies to be taken lightly.

They were getting ready to go to the various places necessary to put the plan in motion. Then she heard something she didn't expect to. A cough. Not something a robot does.

" Did you hear that? " She asked Pietro.

" What? " He asked.

She didn't say anything, just followed the sound, he eventually heard it too as they went up the tunnel and, to their surprise, found a young girl coming down. The cough coming from her.

She stopped and looked at them, narrowed eyes. She was wearing a huge coat, that she held tight around her.

Wanda tried reading her mind, it was hard and what little she got was too fast and a lot of numbers that the woman didn't know what the meaning of.

" Hey! " Exclaimed the girl clearing her throat the second she managed to stop coughing. " Look glowing eyes, stay out of my head! Ever heard of personal space? "

" Who are you? " Asked Pietro.

Wanda stopped trying to enter her mind as she thought about whether the girl could be trusted or not. Not that she actually looked like a threat.

" Look, Speedy Gonzales. My name is for me to know- "

" Bella. " Came Ultron's voice, making them turn to look at the robot coming their way. " Perhaps you should be more civil with our allies. "

" Allies? " Asked Wanda, turning to the girl. " What are you helping with? "

" I'm the life of the party. " Said Bella in a deadpan voice and bored expression.

" Bella shares our vision. " Said Ultron walking past them. " She knows Stark and his band of killers must take care of. "

" What do you have against them? " Asked Pietro.

She narrowed her eyes at them for a moment.

" They're killers. Stark is the worst of them all. " She finally said. " Why are you against them? Besides the explosion of your building and killing of your parents? Why are you helping Ultron? "

She started coughing again.

" You're sick. " Said Wanda.

" I'm fine. " Retorted the girl, rubbing under her nose with the sleeve of the coat. Wanda noticing that the left side of her face was scarred. Like a burn.

" We should go. " Said Ultron, looking at Wanda and Pietro. " We have many stops. "

They could wonder about what this Bella kid was doing there later. Now they had a job to do. She could barely hear Ultron speaking to the girl as they continued up the path.

* * *

Not only she had an army of AIs to tip toe around, now two enhanced individuals were on his side too. Why they wanted to destroy the Earth she didn't know, but she was lucky that the 'red-power eyes' stopped looking in her mind. She couldn't have her find out she wasn't okay with the plan.

" You wait here. " Said Ultron. " When we are ready, I'll take you to Seoul. "

" Why am I going there again? " She asked. He had told her that he was using the stone of the scepter to make himself a new body. Out of vibranium. Apparently Dr Cho's research could help with that. She just didn't know what she was suppose to do there.

Not that she was complaining. More people around her that were not on his side, meant more to help her at least let the authorities know what was going on.

" It will be a surprise. " Said Ultron, placing a metal hand on her cheek. Then walking away, that particular body of his was going with the twins to several places, to get parts for his machine, then finally to South Africa. To buy vibranium from a low life arms dealer that would sell his own mother for a quick buck. The man had no morals. Didn't care for how the weapons would be used. As long as he got paid, he was selling.

She held tight the small parts on her pocket. She took them on her way to the bathroom. Parts for a radio. A form of communication Ultron wasn't on.

Now, was just a matter of putting it together without being seen. Which looked impossible at the moment, there wasn't a second when one of the Ultrons wasn't talking to her. Thinking about it, he sounded rather lonely. It was enough to make feel sorry for him. Unlike the criminals she went after, he wasn't in it for the money. He was hurting. He was confused.

He also wanted to save the world, but couldn't see the difference of doing that and destroying it. He had to be stopped.

She had to build that radio, fast. But with whom would she try contact? Who even used radios anymore? And who was trustworthy to hear her message?

And how long could she continue to pretend to be okay with this? Because the moment her acting wasn't so good and he noticed... she was as good as dead.

* * *

They didn't have much time to sleep, but they tried to get some rest. Except Tony, as he walked in the door of the man's work space, Steve knew he hadn't slept a minute.

" Found anything on ULTRON? " He asked, finding odd the sight of the billionaire reading an actual physical paper file, unusual for the man.

" No. No. " Said Tony, moving the pages in front of him closer and piling them. " Nothing on that yet. Maria is putting a file on where he has been seen already. "

" And you? " He asked. " What are you working on? Seemed pretty focused on it. "

" I... " He said, then shaking his head with a chuckle. " Working on the girl he took. "

" Been wondering about that. " He said, it didn't make sense to the soldier, why would Ultron want her? Because she was on Struker's base? " She's just a teenager, what could she have that he needs? "

" Nothing really. " Said Stark, running a hand over his eyes. " Except for a way to get to me or some sort of ironic cosmic justice. "

" I don't follow. " Steve said, not understanding why would any of it be in any way cosmically ironic.

" Cho... after she patched the kid up, she ran her DNA. " Said the billionaire. " Apparently my past of drunk one nighters bore fruits. "

He took one page from the pile. A print of the result of a DNA test, two names in red and large letters, JANE DOE and ANTHONY E STARK. A familial match.

" The Jane Doe part is not exactly true, but Helen didn't know that. " Said Tony.

" You... have a kid? " Asked Steve, not believing what he was reading.

" Hard to believe it myself. "

Steve looked at him, he was a mess. Like worse than he has ever seen Tony be.

He thought about what he had learned of the girl. From the moment he met her to when he saw her storming out of the medical room, looking pissed off. Hill seeing her walk away. When he asked her what happened, the woman only said that the girl was a complicated unfinished business that she had from SHIELD. He had found weird that a kid would be messed with SHIELD, but she had been in a HYDRA base. He didn't question her further.

He knew that the kid had scarred burns and a mechanical arm and leg. Indicating a serious injury in her past, maybe multiple injuries. He knew that she had very strong opinions on the Avengers and Tony too. Killers, Merchant of Death.

Not on their side if asked.

Even if they found her alive, Tony wasn't in for a happy reunion.

He gave the paper back to Tony, who just threw it on top of the others.

" Not sure what the worse thing is, if she went by her own free will or not. " Said the billionaire. " Bella knew I was her father. At least that's what Maria told me. "

" Bella, that's her name? "

" Yeah. " Said Tony. " And I think she hates me almost as much as Ultron does. "

Steve stayed in silence for a moment.

" The others know? "

Tony shook his head.

" Rhodey does, but I didn't get to talk with the others. To be honest, I have been a little distracted. "

That was something that no one could blame him for.

" I'm going to see if Hill already have something. " Said Steve. " Ready? "

Tony nodded, pushing himself up. He really looked tired.

" Sure. Gotta focus. " He said.

" How about you have coffee first? " Said Steve.

" Extra strong. Triple. With lots of sugar. " He said. " Sounds good. "

" Sounds like a heart attack. "

" Don't worry grandpa I have a reinforced ticker. " Said the man, tapping the center of his chest, where it was barely visible the general shape of the Arc Reactor.

" Maybe you shouldn't put it to such a test. " Said Steve.

" Limits exist to be pushed. " Said the man as they turned around to leave the room.

Steve didn't voice it, but he thought that this whole ' limits exist to be pushed' was the very reason they were in this mess.

* * *

 *** In this, Tony never removed the Arc Reactor on IM3.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Tony was used to hiding his emotions, perks of being on camera all his life, but he was sure that everyone could see he wasn't doing very well. Too nervous. Too much on his mind. And now, he had five pairs of eyes stealing glances at him, since he told them what he had learned.

They were on their way to South Africa, the arms' dealer was the only connection they had.

They landed the quinjet, Bruce staying behind and they moved towards the ship (that was on dry land) the dealer used as base.

Ultron and the twins were there, they could hear them as they approached in silence. They were making the transaction for the vibranium.

" You know, it came at great personal cost. " Said Ulysses Klaue. " Its worth billions. "

" And now so are you. " Came the voice of Ultron, with a chuckle. " It's all under your... 'Dummy holdings'? Finances, so weird. But I always say, keep your friends rich and your enemies rich and wait to find out which is which. "

He got close enough to see them, below as he hovered above, the others getting in position.

" Stark? " Asked Klaue.

For a moment Tony thought he had been somehow seen, but then he realized the man recognized the phrase Ultron used. He had used many times. In his... less moral days.

" What? " Asked Ultron.

" Tony Stark used to say that... to me. " Said the dealer. Tony could feel the judgment coming from Steve even if he wasn't near, it was a special power the Captain had. " You're one of his? "

" What?! I'm not- " Said Ultron, grabbing Klaue's arm. " I'm not. You think I'm one of Stark's puppets, his hollow men? Look at me? Do I look like Iron Man? Stark is Nothing! " Yelling the last phrase, he brought one his arm down and cut off Klaue's. He got angry fast. Tony had no time to feel sorry for the arms' dealer because he focused on the fact that Bella was with him for too many hours, who was to say he hadn't got this mad at her? " I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Uhhh. " Said Ultron, seeming like he hadn't meant to do that. Out of control anger, what a winning personality. " I'm sure that's gonna be okay, I'm sorry. It's just I don't understand... DON'T compare me with Stark! " He got angry again and kicked the man, who passed through a doorway and rolled down a set of stairs. His second man going at his aid. " It's a thing with me. Stark is - he's a sickness! "

The others were in place, time to make themselves known.

" Aw, Junior. " He said, hovering down and landing on the passage behind the group, Thor and Steve behind him. " You're gonna break your old man's heart. "

" If I have to. " Said Ultron, he and the Maximoff's turning to them.

" Nobody has to break anything. " Said Thor.

" Clearly you never made an omelet. " Retorted Ultron.

" He beat me by one second. " Said Tony, turning his eyes slightly at the way the asgardian was.

" Ah... this is funny, Mr Stark. " Said Pietro Maximoff, approaching the passage. " It's comfortable? Like old times? " He added, looking down at the weapons filling every inch of the lower floor.

" This was never my life. " Said Tony, but he couldn't help but to sound guilty. Or like it was an excuse.

" You two can still walk away from this. " Said Steve.

" Oh, we will. " Said Wanda.

" I know you suffered- " He continued, but Ultron interrupted with a disgusted sound.

" Captain America. " He said, chuckling ans shaking his head slightly. " God's righteous man. Pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but- "

" If you believe in peace, then let us keep it. " Said Thor.

" I think you're confusing peace, with quiet. " Retorted Ultron.

" Yeah? What's the vibranium for? " Asked Tony.

" I'm glad you asked, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan. " Said Ultron, sarcastically, using an anti-gravitational pulse to pull Tony towards him then shot at him with a red electrical energy.

Like that, the fight started.

Tony focused on the bigger Ultron, letting the twins for Steve and Thor and the arms' dealer's people, who started shooting at them all, to Natasha and Clint.

They flew out of the ship, through the shipyard, Tony's suit and Ultron's body being in a practical tie for most of the time.

Eventually, Tony hit a missile on him and Ultron fell. He landed in front of him.

" The vibranium is getting away. " Said Ultron.

" And you're not going anywhere. " He said, getting a missile ready to shoot at Ultron.

" Of course not. I'm already there. " Said Ultron. " Don't worry, you'll catch on. Though I gotta say, I'm disappointed, she understood it much faster. But first, you might need to catch Dr Banner. "

Damn.

" Where is she? Bella? " He asked.

Ultron's metal mouth twisted into a smirk.

" With me. "

He didn't say anything after that, so Tony shot the missile from his arm, destroying that body of his. He couldn't waste any time, not with the Hulk on a rampage.

* * *

The quinjet was silent, no one wanted to say anything after what had happened. Natasha, Steve and Thor had seen whatever it was they saw when the Maximoff girl messed with their mind. Bruce had turned and the Other Guy went on a rampage in a populated area. And he still had no idea where Bella was. His kid.

Clint was the one to be best put together, still in the pilot's seat. All he said was that they were going to a safe house.

The sun was already up when they finally landed, in a farm. There was nothing more for miles. Only grass and trees. And of course the farmhouse.

What an odd safe house, he thought. But it was inconspicuous, not to mention remote.

Clint was helping Natasha and leading the way, the others following.

" What is this place? " Asked Thor, as they climbed the steps of the porch.

" Safe house. " Said Tony, as far as he knew, it was.

" Let's hope. " Said Clint opening the door of the house. A normal all American house. " Honey? I'm home. "

A surprised and very pregnant woman appeared from the kitchen, colored pages on her hand.

" Hi, company. " Said Clint, sounding apologetic. " Sorry, didn't call ahead. "

The woman approached Clint, giving him a kiss.

It was all too weird, the other Avengers all in line at the very end of the room.

" This is an agent of some kind. " Said Tony.

" Gentlemen, this is Laura. " Said Clint, introducing her.

" Hi. " Said the pretty brunette. " I know all of your names. "

They were all too stunned to say anything. So Tony just raised a hand in greeting.

Sounds of steps made Clint move to the door of the living room, two kids appearing. He greeting them with smiles, hugs and kisses.

" These are... smaller agents. " Said Tony, what the hell was going on? First he had a daughter, now Clint was a family man with wife and two point five kids?

" Did you bring Auntie Nat? " Asked the little girl.

Well, apparently Natasha was in on it.

" Why don't you hug her and find out? " Said the woman in question, disguising the shaken expression she had for the last hours, the girl running to her and Natasha picking her up.

" Sorry for barging in on you. " Said Steve, forever polite.

" Yeah, we would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea you existed. " Said Tony.

" Yeah, well, Fury helped me set this up when I joined. Kept it off SHIELD's files, I would like to keep it that way. " Said Clint. " I figured it's a good place to lie low. "

Tony looked around the living room, like it was an alien planet. Like everything had to be deciphered. Clint was a family man. How odd. And what a lie to live on his day to day with the Avengers.

Bruce looked like he wanted to phase through the wall and get out of there. Probably feeling like an exposed nerve people punched a million times.

" Hey, you're okay? " Asked Tony.

" Yeah, yeah. " Said Bruce. " Just... "

" Right. " Said the billionaire.

Thor suddenly walked out of the room, leaving the house. Tony saw from the window that he barely exchanged a couple of words with Steve before flying away.

Tony looked back at Clint, his family, Natasha. Wondering if he would have felt all that so alien, strange, if he hadn't learned about Bella.

Certain life-styles just didn't match with kids. Or it was just him who didn't. Never did. The process by which they were made, he was a fan, huge fan. But not the result itself.

He wasn't father material. Never had been. Very soon in his life he had realized that. He would just be like his father, or worse. Howard had never been an example of parenting.

He stopped staring at them, walking around the house until he found a bathroom. A room where he could shut the door and no one would bother him.

He shut the door and took a moment just enjoying the fact that he was alone. Then he moved to the sink and turned on the water, splashing it on his face and neck.

The cold liquid didn't do anything to calm the turmoil his mind had become, an even bigger one than usual, being a genius came with a mind that NEVER stopped. But it did help him wake up a little, he was really tired. But truly, no way he would be able to sleep now.

He looked at the mirror, seeing his dripping wet face staring him back.

That wasn't the face of a father. It was the face of a playboy with a taste for drinking and, recently, throwing himself in the most dangerous situations he could find.

This was the face of a man who had made a lot, a lot of mistakes. Who HAD to be Iron Man, couldn't stop.

This was the face of a man who wasn't there when his own blood needed help. When his kid almost died, when she was in a hospital, an orphan who had lost everything she had, along with parts of her body, who had known she would forever live the reminder of her loss. The face of a father who wasn't there when she decided to rage war against the most dangerous criminals on the planet, alone.

He hadn't even told Pepper yet.

" If Howard was still alive he would have a big ' I told you so' ready. " He said to the reflection.

He took a few more minutes to leave the room, his moment of peace could only last so long.

* * *

Clint wasn't one to meddle into others' business. He respected boundaries, if not for his own nature, but because he would like his own limits and boundaries respected too.

He also understood that, there were moments when people needed help and he might as well be the one to give it. Specially when they were completely out of their element.

Tony looked about to have a mental break. He tried to hide it. But they all could see it. Maybe he wouldn't be this bad if the Ultron situation wasn't happening at the same time as the Bella one. The billionaire wasn't a bad man, but he wasn't the model for healthy and well-balanced men. Not surprising his mind was messy.

To marry being an Avenger and having a family wasn't easy. At all. Clint was very lucky Laura was such a patient and understanding woman, or he wouldn't have been able to have both. Tony had Pepper, who simply by putting up with the man had to be considered a saint, but kids were a totally different thing from difficult personalities. Kids meant a lot more. And according to the few things they had learned from Tony, Bella came with her own new meaning to the word baggage.

So, after the billionaire showered and ate something, Clint walked over to the man who was sitting on the couch, sitting on the armchair nearest to the man, who was looking blindly at the coffee table as he tapped his knee.

" Anyone in there? " Asked Clint.

The man in question startled, looking at him and putting on that trademark smirk of his.

" Yeah? " He said.

" You okay? "

" Always. " He answered, with an almost imperceptible scoff, adjusting his posture on the couch, to sit straighter.

" Right. " Said Clint, in a tone that indicated clearly his lack of belief on that answer.

Tony looked him over, then looking at Laura, who was listening to something Cooper was telling her, then at him again.

" So... you're a daddy bird? " He asked.

" Yeah. " Said Clint.

" Never would have guessed. " Said the billionaire.

" Why not? " Asked Clint.

" Come on! SHIELD, Avengers... not exactly kid friendly or even relationship friendly lines of work. " Said Tony.

" Not impossible. " He said.

" I suppose that given the right circumstances... " Said Tony.

Clint heard the unsaid 'not me though'.

" Any circumstances. If people want it, they make it work. " He said.

Tony scoffed, shaking his head.

" Yeah, smooth Legolas. But doesn't matter what's going on in your head right now, it's not going to work for me. " He said. " Your kids don't despise you. "

" Kids have changes of heart all the time. "

Tony shook his head and stood up.

" I saw a pile of wood outside, I think I'll help chop it. " He said, walking away, not even disguising the clear cut in the conversation.

* * *

In a way, he had been happy when Mrs Barton showed up and asked him to fix their tractor. If he continued talking to Steve, someone would have said something bad, or worse.

He entered the barn, seeing the small green tractor.

" Hello dear. " Walking over to it and taking a general look to see if there was something obviously wrong or if he would have to dig deep in the engine. " Tell me everything. What ails you? " He continued talking to the piece of machinery.

" Do me a favor. " He heard. Of course, it had been a trap. He turned to look at Fury, stepping out of the shadows on the other side of the barn. " Try not to bring it to life. "

" Ah, Mrs Barton, you little minx. " He said. " I get it, Maria Hill called you, right? Was she ever NOT working for you? " He asked, part of his frustration slipping out through his voice.

" Artificial Intelligence. You never even hesitated. " Said Fury.

" You know, it has been a really long day, like Eugene O'Neil long. So how about we skip to the part where you're useful? " He asked.

" Look me in the eye and tell me you were going to shut him down. " Said Fury.

" You're not the director of me. " Said Tony, getting angry. " And how dare you come here and question my actions after what you've done? "

An explanation wasn't necessary, from the look on Fury's eyes, he knew exactly what he was talking about.

" I didn't know that she was yours. " Said Fury.

" Didn't you? Really? How can I be sure? " He asked. " And even so, what fucking difference would that make?! She was still a KID! And you and your band of spies let her live on the streets! Alone! Hurt! Sick! You set back and watched as she painted herself a target on her back for EVERY SINGLE MAJOR CRIMINAL ON THIS PLANET! " He stopped, breathing hard to control his anger. " What was your plan, huh? Let her get herself into a hole so deep that she would have no choice but to trust you in order to get out? Then you would recruit her? " He asked, not yelling now, but with the same aggressiveness in his voice. " Did you feel any guilt at all when you looked at her? "

Fury didn't speak during his outburst, when he finished, he sat down on a straw bale behind him, looking up at Tony.

" Yes, I did feel guilty. Every time. " He said. " I'm not as heartless as you think I am. I know she wasn't safe. " He leaned forward, forearms on his legs. " But you want to know what else I saw? I saw someone who was too goddamn used to being the smartest one in the room, because in most rooms, she is. Someone who doesn't trust anyone, so if approached, she would just pull away in the opposite direction. And in the slightest odd that she would trust us, she doesn't work well with others. Someone who can't admit she might be wrong, unless she had the evidence hitting her in the face. Someone who is reckless, who would not think twice before jumping into an even more dangerous situation. Someone who is the definition of stubborn, if we got her back to her guardians, she would run as many times as necessary to do what she wants to do. To make sure she would stay put, she would demand a 24-hour guard. And that would just make her feel like we were keeping her prisoner. And eventually, she would find a way to slip away again, she's smart enough for that. " Fury ran a hand over his face, indeed looking guilty. " Giving the qualities, is surprising I didn't make the connection and figured it out she was your kid myself. So, I did what I thought was best. Kept one eye out from afar. Made sure she didn't end up in prison. That others didn't figure out who she was too. It may not have been enough to keep her from Ultron's sight. But to be fair, I didn't know that an AI was on the threat list. "

An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Tony was pissed, Fury really did seem to believe he had done the best. Ultron and this kidnapping thing, had been the billionaire's fault, not SHIELD's.

Still, it wasn't enough for Tony.

" Your 'best' wasn't nearly enough. " Said Tony. " You may have your excuses, but she was still a girl who was out there in the cold, who could have been killed by any freak walking down the streets. By an arms' dealer who figured it out she gave his money away to his victims. Heck, she could have died from the cold alone. Hunger. " He took a deep breath and was surprised by how much he hurt by saying those things, voicing them. " My daughter, my blood, could have starved to death. "

He ran a hand over his face turning away from Fury.

" Are you mad at me or at yourself for not knowing about her sooner? "

He stopped for a moment.

" Maybe both. "


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Time passed slowly in the middle of the construction. ULTRONs running up and down, putting parts of the machine together.

For the most time, Bella just listened, disguising her movements in order to take the parts for the radio without he seeing it. But from time to time, she talked. Not about Robin Hood, he had access to all the online files the law agencies had. But about Bella, what she thought about it.

" Humans are driving themselves to destruction, and bringing the world with them. " Said Ultron.

Bella decided not to comment on him not including her in the 'human' category.

" We are greedy. Easily scared. Fear makes us do stupid things. " She said, not sure if that would be the best thing to say, but she found herself talking anyway. " Fear starts wars, that generates more fear. That only fills the pockets of the parasites who only see death as money in their pockets. " She hugged herself tighter, she was still cold. " But... there are people who try to break this cycle. Try to save the world. "

" That is exactly what we are doing, Bella. " He said. She was amazed of how sure he was. Even if his love/hate relationship with the world and humanity was pure confusion.

" You know, Ultron... there is a lot of bad things in the world, but there are good things too. " She said. " Things worth protecting. "

He looked at her, seeming curious. Great, she had been so long with him that she could read his robotic emotions.

" Like what? What are the things you like about the world? " He asked.

" Huh... " She started, unsure. Those were things that she hadn't thought about in years. She wasn't even sure she remembered what she liked about her life before. " Normal things like... movies, dismantling machines and putting them together again, music. Chocolate donuts. Tree house night. "

" Tree house night? " He asked. " I don't know what that is. "

" My Dad made up. " She said. " He didn't stay home much, always deployed. But when he was home, he spent as much time with me as he could. So we had Tree house nights. I would build my computers, play with the electronic junk we managed to find. He would be my building assistant. "

A pang in her heart came at the memories, the snacks, the music placing loud and they staying up way past her bed time building whenever she felt like building. Then they would read a book and fall asleep on the pile of rugs, pillows and blankets that they kept there. Of course in the morning she would wake up in her bed, on her room, but he never told her how he managed to get her out of the tree house without waking her up.

She missed those nights. Her dad pretending not to know the tools, making jokes. Asking her to build him a smart TV armchair. Bella saying no.

She felt her eyes watering, she coughing and feeling her nose run.

" You miss him. " Said Ultron, looking at her, again curious.

" I do. " She said.

He reached in, placing a finger on her cheek and drying a tear, looking at the wet spot on his finger. She felt like he was analyzing her emotions.

" Humans are a pool of tragedies. " He said.

" That's why we sell so many novels and chocolate. " She said, wiping her nose. " Look, can we talk about something else? Like what surprise is this that you'll show me on Seoul? "

" If I tell you, it will not be a surprise. " He said.

" Right. " Said Bella. " You know... did you think through this plan? All the way? " She asked. Praying that he didn't think that question was some kind of betrayal. And kill her.

" I have. Don't worry, it will work. " He said, then looking away from her face. " It is time to go to Seoul. "

" Are you flying me there again? " She asked, already feeling the cold in her bones.

" First, we'll find you a few more layers. " He said. " I believe there is another coat around here somewhere. "

* * *

Helen heard the pneumatic doors closing behind her, before the creepy voice.

" Scream and your entire staff dies. "

She stopped, looking to where the sound had come from, two red dots staring at her. The low lights illuminating the silhouette of the robot.

" I could have killed you, Helen, the night we met. I didn't. "

She looked from him to the figure in shadows behind him, shorter and appearing to be wearing a gigantic coat. Bella. At least she was alive.

" Do you expect a thank you note? " She asked.

" I expect you to know why. "

" The cradle. " She said, realizing what he wanted.

 _This is the next thing, Tony._

She recognized the fragment of the conversation she had in the Avengers' Tower.

" This is the next me. " Said Ultron, placing his hand over the device and looking at her.

" The regeneration-cradle prints tissue, it can't build a living body. " She said, looking at Bella for a millisecond when the girl started to cough, it wasn't a dry cough, the girl was sick, maybe a cold, maybe worse. But her attention went back very soon to the murdering AI robot in front of her.

" It can, you can. You lack the materials. " He said, walking over to her, another one appearing from the corner of the room holding a glass tube with some sort of metal sample inside. " You're a brilliant woman, Helen. "

She turned around, but another Ultron was there, with a scepter. The scepter. It touched her chest with it and she felt cold energy entering her veins.

" But we all have... room to improve. " He said, before her mind became fuzzy and her sight filled with blue.

* * *

She felt even more helpless as she saw Dr Cho be mind controlled. She had the radio on one of the pockets of the coat, on another, a folded piece of paper. In one of her visits to the bathroom while on the base, she had stolen a notepad and a pencil, she wrote a note with all the information to know what Ultron was up to. But now, Helen couldn't be trusted with it.

No one could be trusted around her. Time was passing and she still had no way to stop him. It didn't help that Ultron was so nice to her. It made her feel bad for his madness. And... it had been a while since she truly talked to someone.

She watched in fear and fascination as Helen managed to make metal into a living body. Keeping a straight face, trying not to give the Maximoff girl a reason to read her mind. Keep her mouth shut and mood in check was hard, but so far, she managed to do it.

" Helen, I know you have another cradle, an outdated and slower model, but a working one. " Said Ultron. " I have something else for you to build. "

" What? " Asked Helen.

" Bella needs... an upgrade. Her parts are insultingly outdated. " Said Ultron.

" Hey! I build them. " She said, she was terrified, but it was her work, no way he would insult it.

" You have done a great job, but the materials you had, were not ideal. " He said.

One door by the back of the room opened, two Ultrons bringing another cradle, the design a little different.

" The cradle is already doing all the work, I can keep an eye on it and work on her. " Said Helen.

" Woah. I don't know about this. " Said Bella, taking a few steps back until her back was against the wall. " You know, spare parts are more customizable, I can do a lot more. What if someday, I want a cup holder? "

" There is no need to be afraid, Bella. You will be better with it. No more leg and arm falling apart from a simple punch or kick. " He said, walking over to her and placing a hand on her cheek.

No way she wanted that, no way she wanted him to build something into her. She looked around, no one around that could help, the Maximoffs were further away, glancing at her funny and if Wanda tried to look into her mind, she was doomed. Ultron would know she didn't want his plan to work.

" To build a whole arm and leg, she will need to be unconscious, or the pain would be excruciating. " Said Cho. " Not to mention we would have to open the wound again, to allow the cradle to do its job properly.

" No. " She said. " I don't put anything in my body I didn't build. "

" Bella. " Said Ultron, his voice harsher, the tone that made her feel like he was about to kill her. " I am doing this for you as a way to make you stronger. "

" But how about my growth, I'll have smaller limbs? " She asked.

" They will be made of Vibranium, but also organic, " Said Cho. " It will grow as you do. After I calibrate the cells, of course. "

" But it's all conjecture. " Bella retorted.

" Look, Ultron, if she doesn't want this- " Started Pietro.

" Is for her own good. " Said Ultron, looking from him to Bella again. " You will thank me. Think of this as a 'tree house night', without the tree house. "

She looked at the cradle, the new body for Ultron being built. Then she felt a prick on her arm. Another Ultron next to her, a needle on his hand.

Her mind started to get hazy, and her body to slump, she heard people talking, but couldn't understand what before darkness took over.

* * *

Wanda looked at the girl, her eyes getting smaller and smaller as they closed.

" She clearly doesn't want this, ULTRON. " She said. " Why insist? It's her body. "

" Bella has a hard time with trust. One of the downsides of the life she was leading so far. " Said Ultron. " One of the downsides of having a father like Stark. "

" She's his kid? " Asked Pietro, getting agitated and a little angry.

" She despises him as much as I and you. " Said Ultron.

" Still... it is her choice. " Said Wanda.

" Did you see the bandages on her face, the wounds? " Asked Ultron. " Her arm and leg were broken and she had to fix them. With this, they'll never be hurt again. "

One Ultron took the now sleeping girl and walked over to the second cradle, that was on the back of the room, Dr Cho accompanying him.

She exchanged a look with her brother. If this was to prevent her from getting hurt, maybe it was for the best. And they didn't know her, not as Ultron did. Maybe this was just a 'fear of the doctor' thing. The cradled healed people, supposedly.

" You can make it? " She asked, looking at Helen. " Her concerns of growth, are they unfounded? "

" I am positive I can make this. They'll be like normal limbs. No over growing, not under growing. It will keep up with her body, it's rhythm. " Said the mind controlled doctor. " Not to mention the added resistance of the material. "

She looked at the injured face of the girl, nose red from the cold she had. She really did look like she needed some healing.

Ultron wasn't stopping for them, he was preparing the girl for the cradle as they spoke, Cho helping. It really didn't look like their choice. At least, she found more important to help Ultron to save the world than to discuss a girl she had never met and who could even want that in the end. Defeating the Avengers was more important.

After only thirty minutes, the girl was already closed in the cradle, it being turned on and Cho keeping an eye on both machines.

Hours passed and eventually, as Ultron's mind was transferred to the new body, she started to be able to read him. As if he was dreaming, curiosity took the better of her and she had to see what was in there.

The images flashed in her mind and she screamed in pain of the intensity of them and of horror. She walked back, Pietro walking over to her. She breathing hard.

She couldn't believe it. He had lied.

" How could you? " She asked, looking at the Ultron who had been downloading the mind.

" How could I what? " He asked.

" You said, we would destroy the Avengers, make a better world. " She said.

" It will be better. "

" When everyone is dead? " She asked.

" That is not... The human race will have every opportunity to improve. " Tried explaining Ultron, but he only made his madness clearer.

" And if they don't? " Asked Pietro.

" Ask Noah. " Said Ultron.

" You're a madman. " She said, her eyes tearing still. The realization of what they had been helping happen.

" There were more than a dozen, extinction level events, before even the dinosaurs got theirs. When the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it. And believe me, he's winding up. We have to evolve. There's no room for... weak. " Said Ultron, leaning forward and running a hand over the closed cradle that had his forming body.

She discreetly used her powers to release Cho from the mind spell, the woman would know how to stop that body form being finished.

" And who decides who is weak? " Asked Pietro.

" Life. " Said Ultron, with a laugh. " Life always decides. "

She exchanged a look with her brother. They had to get out of there. Had to find a way to stop him. Her brother walked over to her, anything happened, he would carry her out.

" There's incoming. " Said Ultron. " The quinjet, we have to move. "

"That's not a problem. " Said Cho, pretending to be still under his control, walking over to the controls of his cradle and pausing the consciousness transfer.

Ultron sighed and shot at her. Pietro lost no time picking her up and running away as fast as he could.

* * *

Steve ran in the lab, finding it partially destroyed and Cho on the ground bleeding.

" Dr Cho? " He called, walking over to her, from what he could see her injury was serious, but not deadly, at least she wasn't loosing blood enough to kill her.

He took a piece of gauze from one of his pockets and pressed against the wound, she breathing hard and sweating in pain.

" He's uploading himself into the body. " She said.

" When? " He asked, standing up a little and looking around, but she stopped him, holding to his hand.

" The real power is inside the cradle. The gem, it's power, it's uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the cradle to Stark, both of them. " She said.

" Both? " He asked, another body?

" Bella, he put her in one. " She said. " The process is half-way, he paused it, but it can't be like that for long, the anesthesia won't last and to have a half formed limb will be excruciating. Once it started, it has to end. He has to plug it in and let the program finish. Take them to Stark. "

She was out of breath after talking so much.

" First I have to find them. " He said, giving her a nod.

" Go. " She said, he stood up and running out of the lab.

" Did you guys copy that? " He asked Romanoff and Barton, on the quinjet.

" We did. " Said Barton.

" Got a private jet taking off across town. " Said Romanoff. " No manifest, that could be him. "

" There, it's a truck from the lab. " Said Barton, making Steve, who was already out of the building look towards the roads. " Right above you, Cap. On the loop by the bridge. It's them, got three with the cradles, one in the cab. I can take out the driver. "

" Negative. " He said, climbing the ladder, that led to one of the loops of the bridge. " That truck crashes, the gem could level the city. Not to mention kill Bella. We need to draw out Ultron. "

As the truck passed under the part of the bridge where he was, he jumped form it, landing on top of the vehicle, he rolled until he was holding on the top of the door, that immediately opened and hit him against the side of the cargo space when Ultron shot at it. He pushed himself back, Ultron shot again, making him go up a few feet and fall against the door that was being dragged on the road, barely holding to the rest of the structure.

" Well, he's definitely unhappy, I'll try to keep him that way. " He said.

" You're not a match for him, Cap. " Said Clint.

" Thanks, Barton. " He answered, that was not what he needed to hear.

He climbed the loose door to enter the cargo space, but Ultron used gravitational pull to throw him away. He landed on the window shield of the car right behind him. He stood up and jumped on the side of a trash truck that was passing by the car, using it to swing himself ahead, landing on top of the truck Ultron was using.

One of the robots flew out of the truck.

" You know what's in that cradle? " Asked Ultron, shooting at him, but he turned around and let his shield take the hit. " The power to make real change and that terrifies you. "

He took the shield from his back.

" I wouldn't call it a comfort. " He retorted, throwing the metal disk at the robot.

* * *

Natasha jumped out of the bike, the truck was finally free of the guards that were inside and she managed to reach it on the busy streets, after a mess of a chase through the city. Steve himself was keeping the bigger Ultron busy somewhere.

She looked over the two cradles, side by side. Then moving to the one that had the android body, maybe she could make the cradle destroy the body. But a second later she knew it wouldn't work so simply when she saw that the User Override was denied.

She felt the truck moving up. Apparently the guards had caught up with it and were carrying it away, she lost her balance and almost fell off it, barely managing to hold herself on it and move back to where the cradles were tied to the floor.

" Package is airborne. " Said Clint.

" I'm still in the truck. " Said Natasha, cutting the ropes from the cradle with the android body.

" What are you doin- ? " He started asking.

" Just be ready. I'm sending the packages to you. " She said.

" Okay, how do you want me to take it? "

" Uhhn, you might wish you haven't asked that. " She said.

" It's bad? "

" Just line up the back of the quinjet and keep it open. " She said. " I'll send the android first then leave with Bella. "

" Okay. " He said.

She waited until he gave the signal for her to cut the last rope and let the cradle off the truck cargo space and into the quinjet. Then she cut the ones from the cradle that held Bella, placed an explosive on the back of the truck and pushed the cradle off the cargo space, while holding herself to it.

She was almost inside the quinjet when she felt herself move up, along with the cradle.

She heard Clint calling to her, but then she felt a hit on her head and passed out.

* * *

Clint came back with only one cradle. One they needed to get, but missing another very important one. Once again, Tony found himself not knowing if Bella was alright or not, alive or not.

And on top of everything, one of their own was missing. It was like every step they took forward, they two back.

He had to do something. He had one of the cradles, that's what he had to focus on.

When he walked in his work space, the cradle was already in place, Bruce and Clint there.

" Anything on Nat? " Asked Bruce. " Or Bella? "

" Haven't heard. But they're alive, or Ultron would be rubbing our faces in it. " He answered.

" This is sealed tight. " Said Clint, stepping off the cradle.

" We're gonna need to access the program and break it down from within. " Said Bruce.

" Uh huh. " He said. A kind of agreement, but he didn't intent on going along with that idea. SO he turned to Clint. " Any chance Natasha might leave you a message? Outside the internet? Old school spy stuff? "

" There're some nets I can cast. " Answered the spy, moving to the ladder that led to the lower floor. " Yeah, I'll find her. " That sounded like it was more to himself than to the others.

Tony turned to Bruce.

" I can work on tissue degeneration, if you can fry whatever operational system Cho implanted. " Said Bruce, already working on connecting the cradle's system to theirs.

" Yeah, about that. " He said, rubbing the back of his head.

Bruce looked at him, realizing what he was thinking, perks of working together on a day to day basis. Or downside of working together, depending on the day you asked.

" Don't. " He said.

" You have to trust me. " Said Tony, moving towards Bruce as he moved away.

" I don't. " Retorted the doctor.

" Our ally? The guy protecting the military nuclear codes? " Said Tony, taking the smart screen from his pocket and bringing up the program he wanted. " I found him. "

A few feet from them the orange glow of the hologram form of his program appeared, JARVIS voice filling the room.

" Hello, Dr Banner. "

" Ultron didn't go after JARVIS because he was angry, he attacked him because he was scared, of what he could do. " He explained. " So ARVIS went underground, scattered, dumped his memory. But not his protocols. He didn't even know he was in there, until I pieced him together. "

" So, you want me to help you, put JARVIS into this thing? " Asked Bruce, his tone showing how he didn't think they should be doing that.

" No, of course not. " He answered. " I wanna help YOU put JARVIS in this thing. We're out of my field here. You know Bio-organics better than anyone. "

" And you just assume that JARVIS operational matrix can beat Ultron's? " Asked Bruce.

" JARVIS has been beating him, from inside without knowing. " He said, walking around the cradle to stand closer to the other man. " This it's the opportunity. We can create Ultron's perfect self without the homicidal glitches he thinks are his winning personality. We have to. "

" I believe it's worth a go. " Said JARVIS.

" I'm in a loop! I'm caught in a time loop. " Exclaimed Bruce. " This is exactly where it all went wrong. "

" I know. I know. " Said Tony, walking closer. " I know what everyone it's gonna say, but they're already saying it. " He placed his hand on Bruce's shoulder. " We're mad scientists, we're monsters, buddy. We're gotta own it. Make a stand. " From his still a little hesitant expression, Tony could see the other scientist was thinking about it. " It's not a loop. It's the end of the line. "

Bruce looked at the cradle with that curious look of someone who wanted to do something new. Create something new. Just like that, he knew he had convinced the man.

" Alright. " Said Bruce. " I'll start examining what Cho done so far. "

* * *

Natasha woke up to the sounds of construction, laying on a cold floor, but feeling a source of heat near, the air warm. Several Ultrons building something.

" I wasn't sure you would wake up. " The one closest to her said. " I hoped you would. I wanted to show you. Bella isn't ready yet and... I don't have anyone else. " Her body was stiff and hurting, she leaned on her elbow to start sitting up. " I think about meteors. The purity of them. Boom! The end. Start again. The world made clean for the new man to rebuild. I was meant to be new. " He turned to her, approaching with that 'I'm about to get angry' tone. " I was made to be beautiful. The world would have looked to the sky and seen hope. Seen mercy. Instead, they'll look up in horror, because of you. You wounded me. I give you full marks for that. But as the man said, what doesn't kill you... " Metal hands suddenly appeared behind him, breaking the Ultron apart, she started to drag herself back as a much larger Ultron walked closer. " Just makes me stronger. " He closed the door of the cell she was in, locking it.

She looked around the cell, accessing her environment. There was nothing in there, nothing she could use. To escape or to ask for help. Her comns were useless that far away from the others or that deep underground. Not to mention that Ultron could monitore it.

She had to figure something, but for the time being, she would observe and see what she could learn.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was a weird mixture of pain and numbness as the darkness left her mind. She kept her eyes closed, just trying to make sense of the odd sensation taking her over, it was horrible and at the same time invigorating. And it was growing and growing. Specially on her left side.

For a moment her mind flashed back to a fire. And pain, a lot of pain. Desperation. Panic.

She opened her eyes, her sight blurred and assaulted by a blue light that came from around her. Adrenaline and panic made her sit up. Or try, she hit something that stopped her. She tried to move sideways, but there were obstacles there too.

She was trapped. Her breath quickened, her heart beat increasing. She started kicking ad hitting at the obstacles around her, not minding the pain it brought her to do so. It was a box, she was in a box.

" Let me out! " She yelled. " Let me out! Please! "

The pain increased. Along with a feeling like she had a million needles being jammed on her left side. She couldn't breathe, there was no air.

She continued for she didn't know how long, a second, a minute, one hour. She didn't know. She just knew that when the lid, or what she assumed was the lid, opened she jumped out, still not being able to see straight.

There were arms around her, she struggled, trying to break free. There was a voice, but she was too nervous, too panicked to listen to it at first.

" ... is alright. Is over, you're ready. "

A male voice, deep. Ultron.

Memories came back at full force. She stopped, the fog over her eyes dissipating. She looked up, seeing an Ultron, one of the smaller ones, he was the one holding her. She looked around, she was back in Sokovia, at the base. She looked down at the cradle she just jumped off from.

The cradle.

The pain, and the needles on her arm came back at full force.

She looked down at her arm and her leg. Her breath stopped in her throat, she raised her had to her eye level. Her hand. It wasn't the prosthetic she built. It was... It had a skin, a type of skin. Dark red.

" Do you see? " Came Ultron's voice, as her eyes filled with tears. " I told you it would be better. "

" You- you drugged me and put me in the cradle. " She said, unbelieving. Moving her hand, her arm. Touching it with her right hand and flinching when she could feel the touch.

It hurt, but now she knew that it did because her body was getting used to the fact that parts that were missing, now were back. Or kind of back. These were not the limbs she was born with, those were build by a machine, using fake cells and vibranium.

" They are perfect, aren't they? " He said. " I was going to be perfect. "

Her sight became blurry with tears, her breath quickened and the pain and needles didn't go away, it became more pronounced.

She didn't mind the cold of the room, or the fact that for her to be placed in the cradle they had to remove her clothes, it would be too much for her brain to process.

She was focusing on the muscles, bones and skin that were now attached to her. The scarred tissue from her torso and hip suddenly turning into dark deep red.

" I can... feel. " She said, tears running down her face.

She had issues with ghost pain ever since she lost her limbs, not to mention other complications she had to keep an eye on, so she was used to pain. Still, that hurt. That combined with the fact that Ultron had done this to her without her permission, was an emotional overload.

It was a horrible situation, but... She could feel again. She touched one finger tip on her tight and she could feel it. the pressure of the finger pressing the skin.

" Yes, an experience you must greatly miss. " He said. " I would have been able to. To feel, truly feel. But they took that from me. "

She looked up at him, her mind was in too much of a shock to be able to grasp at everything around her, but she did hear what he said.

" What happened? " She asked.

" They took my vision. " He said. " They stole it. Wanda and Pietro abandoned us. "

Abandoned? Stolen? What happened while she was in that cradle?

She looked down at her hand, her brand new hand. The pain from the newly former limbs and nerves were being joined by a headache. And that cough that decided to come back.

" I need pain meds. The really strong ones. "

* * *

Natasha wanted to stab herself in the ear, just so she didn't have to hear to Ultron's crazy talk anymore. Seriously, why was she there? He couldn't be alone for one minute, so he had to get her as a listening ear? He couldn't wait until Bella was out of the cradle? Or was Bella dead?

All the robot talked about was meteors, starting over, the New Man. How he was saving the world. The edge between saving it and destroying it was a little fuzzy on his mind. Not that it was any news to her.

Hours passed and then, Ultron stopped talking to her. It was a relief, but she wondered why. More time passed, maybe two hours, possibly close to three. It was then that she heard a cough, far away.

That was unexpected.

A couple of minutes passed, the cough approached and she finally saw the one doing it.

Bella appeared and she took a moment observing her state. She was wearing a winter coat, large and a pair of old winter jeans that were five times her size, even folded about three times, she was stepping on the edge of the fabric, barefoot.

Her expression was a little too impassive to be natural, specially because, when the light hit it at an angle, Natasha could see fresh tear tracks.

Bella looked at the cell, her eyes widening when she saw Natasha there.

" Weird place for you to take a break. " Bella said to her.

" Thinking the same thing. " Said Natasha.

Bella looked around, her eyes pausing on every Ultron in sight, she coughing again. Then she looked at Natasha and her cell.

She turned around and started going away.

" Where are you going? " Asked one of the Ultron's.

" Nature's call. " Said the girl.

* * *

Romanoff was there, she would definitely know how to get in contact with people who could do things about Ultron's plan. She passed a couple of Ultron's on her way up and through the halls of the base. Eyes around her almost all the time, almost.

She did manage to steal a few things here and there. The skill result from three years stealing food and computer parts on the streets. Thank god for the big pockets on the coat.

She entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She losing control of her breath and expression and allowing the nervousness to show through, she leaned forward and took deep breaths, through her mouth, that made her cough even more.

She couldn't loose control now, even with everything that happened, she had work to do. The thought helped her focus.

She took the randoms parts and phones from her pocket, along with a piece of paper and a pen.

She quickly wrote down all the information she got of the machine, both form what Ultron told her and what she could observe. Then she built a radio communicator from the parts, a rough one, but it would do.

She looked at her left hand, it had done the job without a problem, it still bothered her, but she had no issues with control of the movements.

She shook her head, getting it clear of the distractions and going back to what was important.

She hid the left over parts, the radio and the paper in her pockets, then left, going to where the Avenger was trapped.

She walked over to the bars of the cell, extremely aware of Ultron's many eyes on her. Natasha looked at her and Bella could swear she knew she was up to something. Not surprising.

" Want a harmonica? " She asked, Natasha raising an eyebrow. " Or do spy assassins have other jail rituals? "

" None that don't involve blood. " Said the woman.

" Not surprised. " She said, holding the radio and note in her pocket. The other hand in front of her. She had learned several things, including sign language as to interpret some of the investigations intels from several criminals around the world, she never practiced in using to communicate, but she was confident that her knowledge allowed her to use it now.

'Is he looking?' She asked with one hand. Tapping with the other inside the pocket, saying that she had something to give her.

The answer came as a very subtle moving of Natasha's head. Yes, there were eyes on them.

" Why do you do what you do? " Asked Bella, trying to continue the conversation.

" To help people. Is what the Avengers do. " Said Natasha.

" So you say, maybe you actually think you're helping, but why are YOU with them? " She asked, getting closer to the bars. What she had to pass to the spy closed tight in her hand. " You're the Black Widow. "

She made a face at that, she was uncomfortable. But it was what both were aiming at, Ultron knew that Bella didn't like the Avengers and expected Bella to be aggressive.

" Why are you helping him? I thought you were all about stealing from criminals. " Retorted Natasha.

" We are saving this world. " Said Ultron, interjecting on the conversation and approaching, Bella cursed in her mind, if he was closer, he would see when she passed the radio and note to Natasha.

Bella did all she could think of, which was double over forward taking her hand from her pocket. Natasha, fortunately, figured what she was going for and went to the bars too, as if helping her, but actually receiving what Bella passed to her.

She was afraid that Ultron would have seen the exchange, but apparently the coat was big enough to cover her hands. Two metal hands helped her up and moved her away from the bars, just as the red-headed woman was hiding the radio and note.

Bella turned her back to the cell, trusting that she would know who to contact, because she had to.

* * *

Tony was trying to fix things, but of course Rogers wouldn't see it that way. He had showed up here with the ones who had been against them and tried to stop he and Bruce.

All his work would have been for nothing if Thor hadn't shown up and did the job of an external battery.

Now, they were all walking up to where a red android was floating in front of the big windows, looking down to the city.

Steve was ready to attack it, but Thor raised a hand, stopping him.

After a moment, the android turned back to the room, a green tight outfit appearing around his body. He floated to the floor, landing near Thor.

" I'm sorry, that was... " It said, his voice was the same as JARVIS'. " Odd. Thank You. " He said, looking at Thor. He observed him for a second, then a red cape appeared around his shoulders.

" Thor. You helped create this? " Asked Steve.

" I had a vision. " Said Thor. " A world pool that sucks all hope of life, and at it's center is that. " The asgardian pointed to the forehead of the android, where a yellow gem rested.

" The gem? " Asked Bruce.

" Is the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones. The greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities. " Answered the asgardian.

" Then why would you bring-? " Started Steve, being interrupted by Thor.

" Stark is right. " Said Thor.

Tony didn't voice it, but his mind was definitely going 'Ha! Told Ya! '.

" Ohh, it's definitely the end of times. " Said Bruce, surprised that the asgardian had agreed with Tony.

" The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron. " Said Thor.

" Not alone. " Added the android, taking a few steps forward.

" Why does your vision sound like JARVIS? " Asked Steve.

" We reconfigured JARVIS' matrix. " Said Tony. " To create something new. "

" I think I had my fill of new. " Said Steve.

" You think I'm a child of Ultron. " Said the android.

" You're not? " Asked Steve, suspicious.

" I'm not ULTRON. " Said the android. " I'm not JARVIS either. I AM. " He said.

Those two words, I AM, meant a lot more to Tony than the others. If he was telling the truth, that meant that the android was a life. A mind that stood independently from others. That he and Banner were able to create that, with the basis they were given of course, was incredible.

Now was only the matter of it being trustworthy or not.

" I looked in your head and saw annihilation. " Said Wanda.

" Look again. " Said Vision.

" Her self-approval means jack to me. " Said Clint.

" Their powers. The horrors in our heads, Ultron himself. It all came from the Mind Stone. And is nothing compared to what it can unleash. " Said Thor. " But with it on our side- "

" Is it? " Asked Steve. " Are you? On our side? "

" I don't think is that simple. " Said the android.

" It better get real simple, real soon. " Said Clint.

" I'm on the side of life, Ultron isn't. " Said the android. " He will end it all. "

" What's he waiting for? " Asked Steve.

" You. "

" Where? " Asked Bruce.

" Sokovia. " Answered Clint. " He's got Nat there too. "

Bruce walked towards the android.

" If we're wrong about you... " He said. " If you are the monster ULTRON made you to be... "

" What will you do? " Asked the android.

It wasn't a threat at the same time that is sounded exactly like one. Specially given the moment of silence after, no one had an answer to that.

" I don't want to kill ULTRON. " Said the red man, walking away from Bruce. " He's unique. And he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he has built, every trace of his presence on the net. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others. "

Tony couldn't help but to steal a glance at the Maximoff twins at that moment, trusting them would be hard.

" Maybe I am a monster. " Continued the android. " I don't think I would know if I were one. I'm not what you are and not what you intended. So there would be no way to make you trust me. " With that he grabbed Thor's hammer, that was on the coffee table next to him and turn it around offering it to it's owner. " But we need to go. "

Tony barely registered the last words, his brain had frozen on the fact that the android could lift the hammer. The others apparently had the same reaction, because they were in stunned silence. Except for the twins, who didn't know of the 'worthy' thing and were just quiet.

Thor took the hammer, the android walked out of the room and they were still stunned.

" Right... " Said Thor, moving after pulling himself together, he went the same direction the android did, only tapping Tony on the shoulder on his way. " Well done. "

" 3 minutes. " Said Steve. " Get what you need. "

* * *

Natasha knew the effects of fire on people, perks of being an assassin. She knew that sometimes, depending how hot it was burning, how close was a person, how hot was the air they were breathing, their lungs got permanently damaged. Scarred.

She knew that, for the burns she saw on Bella's face, and on her body when she looked inside the cradle in Seoul, to happen, the kid had to be real close. Her lungs could have suffered permanently.

She knew that a kid like that couldn't get sick. Even a cold could be dangerous. That meant that she really wasn't liking the sound of Bella's cough, that she could hear from whatever place she was now, which indicated how loud she was coughing. If they got out of this whole thing alive, the kid would definitely need a hospital.

She had to give it to the kid, to have ULTRON not kill her, collect intel on his plan and to build a radio for her to use was smart. And it took stealth too, the few moments Natasha had her in her sight, she noticed Ultron was around Bella all the time.

Then, the sound of the cough then started getting lower and lower, until there was nothing. After that, the Ultrons took off too.

Not long after, she heard a voice calling for her.

" Natasha. "

She stood up, going to stand by the door of the cell, the callings getting louder and louder.

" Bruce? " She called back, guiding the man towards where she was.

" Natasha! " He said, looking relieved to find her. " Are you alright? "

" Yeah. " She answered.

" The team is in the city, is about to line up. " Said Bruce.

" I don't suppose you found a key lying around somewhere... " She said.

" Yeah. I did. " He said, raising one of the guns Hydra used.

She got out of the way and he shot at the lock, she finally leaving the cell.

" Have you seen the kid? " Asked Banner.

" Yeah, but I think Ultron already got her out of here. " She answered. " So, what's our play? "

" I'm here to get you and Bella to safety. " He said.

" Is going to be a tough job, Ultron has eyes on her at all times. " Said Natasha.

" What the hell does he want with her anyway? " Asked Bruce. " Not like she can fight. "

" I don't think is like that. I have the impression that Ultron is lonely and she was here for him to talk to. " Said Natasha, both she and Bruce making their way out of the base. " Didn't exactly do anything. "

" You're not serious. " Said Bruce.

" That's why I'm still around, keep listening to his incessant talking while she was on the cradle and couldn't. " She said.

Bruce didn't say anything at that, but he did make that expression of his when he was trying to figure out something.

" So no idea where she is? " He asked, after a moment of silence.

" Nope. But if we hear coughing, we just have to follow. "


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Bella was freezing, the wind around her getting under her skin and making her bones ache. Along with her throat. It would have been burning her nose from breathing, but she couldn't breathe through it, she definitely had a cold. Why, why did Ultron had to grab her and fly so high above the city?

She didn't need a front row seat to the destruction of the planet.

Guilt grew inside her, she had been so worried about herself and stopping Ultron from killing her that she didn't do anything about what he was already doing. Killing the planet. She should have done something, anything. Nothing came to mind as what, but the guilt didn't lessen.

People were leaving the city, they must have been warned and/or the Avengers had showed up. Natasha definitely had the time to warn them with the radio she passed her.

" It's time. " Said Ultron. " Our work is almost done. They will see, they will all see. "

She didn't say anything, again. She was going through everything she was and believed in these last days. She didn't know what to say and her mind was too stumped about what was going to happen.

The world, the whole world gone, and so easily.

" Ultron, you can't go through with this. " She said. Suddenly she felt the words pouring out of her mouth.

* * *

He landed in the church, that was darkly lit.

" Come to confess your sins? " Came Ultron's voice.

" I don't know. How much time you got? " He said, his scans showing Bella wasn't there, still he looked around for her.

" More than you. " Can the answer, Tony turning around to face the robot when he heard the sounds of him moving.

" Uhhhh. Have you been juicing? " He asked, seeing the considerably larger robot body compared to the others. " A little vibranium cocktail? You're looking... I don't wanna say puffy- "

" You're stalling to protect the people. " Interrupted him Ultron.

" Well, that is the mission, did you forget? " He asked.

" I've moved beyond your mission. I'm free. " Said Ultron. That moment, a metallic drill dug up through the exact center of the church, metal supports attaching themselves to the ground. " What? You thought you were the only one stalling? "

Quickly his suit scanned the device. It was the rest of the vibranium. The little information that Natasha was able to pass to Clint over the radio communication seemed to match it. A central column that would raise the city. The thing was figure out how it was going to do that exactly, the numbers, so he could figure out how to stop it. Without killing everyone in that place.

" This is how you end, Tony. " Said Ultron, hate clear in his voice. " This is peace, in my time. "

The appearance of the top of the device seemed to be some sort of sign, because the sensors of his suit went crazy with the amount of Ultrons that appeared in the city, coming out from all places they could hide. Explosions and screams sounding.

" Where's Bella? " He asked.

" We will save this world. We will see it end and be reborn. " Said Ultron.

Tony cursed in his mind the lack of answer, not that he expected directions or anything. He could find her alone. Now, he had to save the rest of the people too.

He turned around and flew away. Using his repulsors to destroy the robots he found on the way.

A couple of minutes of this and he figured Vision, a short way to refer to the android, had more than enough time to do his part.

" FRIDAY, the Vision? " He asked.

" Boss, it's working, he's burning Ultron out of the net. " Came the answer.

That was a relief, but it didn't last long, because the loud sounds and smoke that appeared around the city told him that Ultron had turned on his machine. The city was raising from the ground.

Then he heard, coming from all the robots he came near, the same speech.

" Can you see? The beauty of it? The inevitability? You rise only to fall. You Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword and the Earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living on this world will be metal. "

He put a little distance between himself and the rising city, allowing his suit to scan the entirety of the device and city that was being lifted. Calculations already running through his mind. So far none that would stop it.

He flew back to the city.

" That building is not cleared. " Said FRIDAY, as he passed by a building about to collapse. " 10th floor. "

He flew straight into the apartment of a terrified family of three.

" Hi. " He said, looking around the small space. A tub, good. " Okay, get in the tub. "

They did it promptly, he taking the tub and carrying it out of the building just as it fell down.

" I got airborne heading out to the bridge. " Said Friday, her systems reading all movement on the area, or as many as possible.

" Cap, you got incoming. " He said, according to their plan that's where the man would be.

" Incoming already came in. " Came the answer, the voice sounding like Steve had just received one hell of a blow. " Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us only have one job, tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt them back, you get killed, walk it off. "

Steve always had an act for good speeches.

Tony flew towards the part of the city that was left on the ground, dropping the tub with the family and flying back up. Time to dedicate his mind to only one thing, stopping that city from falling.

* * *

" Ultron, you can't go through with this. " She said.

She knew that she was signing her death certificate there, but she had to try.

" What? " Asked Ultron, confused, but angry too. She knew that also because his hold on her got tighter, by a lot.

" This is not the way to save the world. " She said. " I know the Avengers aren't perfect, but global extinction is not the answer. "

" Not you too. " He said, sounding betrayed. " Not you. I thought you understood. I thought you were on my side! "

His grip got even tighter, she was being carried bridal style so her ribs and knees were hurting a lot. She was worried her bones would get fractured.

It was getting really hard to breathe, her head buzzing, but she could still hear the sound of the city breaking free from the ground.

" I am. " She said, getting dizzy. " Please, just listen. You do this, then you'll be all alone. "

" Apparently I already am. " He said, sounding hurt. " Why? "

" Because I can't just... do nothing. " She said. " I agree that something needs to be done... but not this. I do what I do because I don't want people to die. "

He was quiet for a long moment after this. She just feeling more and more lightheaded, cold, in pain. Not to mention the cold or whatever she was getting.

" You're on Stark's side. " He said.

" I'm not. " She said quickly, breathing hard, her lungs and throat burning from the cold air, even in the daylight. " I'm on my own side. On the people's side. "

She had heard all his rants, he wouldn't be convinced so easily.

" You'll see. When it's over, you'll see. "

" I won't be here to see it! " She retorted. " I will die along with everyone down there! I'm human, Ultron. Not the most healthy example of one either. I am already sick. I will die. Stop that machine, bring the city back down. "

She didn't know how long it had passed since she started arguing with him, she was barely managed to breathe the thin air, talking was slow and breathing pauses were necessary. The city was getting higher and higher.

" It will be better. It will. "

" You sound like a broken record. " She said. " Not even you can think about this plan with a clear mind. You have to see that this is not the way. This is not a plan to make things better, this is just revenge on Stark! "

She had to push harder, being calm and understanding wasn't working.

Thing was, she pushed too hard.

He shifted his hold on her, one hand going to her throat. Her ears were ringing, she could barely understand him, darkness appearing around her sight.

" This is peace in MY time. "

Then, the hold on her was gone.

And she was falling.

Lack of oxygen made it so it took her a while to understand it, she was going to die. Not the first time she had come to such a conclusion. But this time there was no chance that the goo her body would become could be salvaged.

It was odd that no despair came in that moment. Just that acknowledgment. Death. For real, forever. That and the feeling of falling and cold.

Then pain, a lot of it. A lot sooner than it should have come and in an odd pattern, it didn't feel like the ground. It was like two straight steel beams that came into contact with her and broke her bones. Or at least it hurt enough for her to think that.

With that amount of pain, she finally passed out.

She didn't see that they were arms, and not beams. Red arms, like her new arm and leg, though larger and dressed in green.

* * *

Vision was the one closest when Stark's scans picked up someone falling. Odd thing was, this person wasn't falling from the city, but from a spot higher than the city was.

He had a good guess who it was, he had a lot of Ultron's memories. He would want to watch it and would bring Bella with him.

He flew there and managed to grab the falling person, who was indeed Bella. Not without some damage though, at the speed she was and he was in order to get there, she was bound to have some broken bones. Better than dead though.

She passed out right after, breath shallow but still there. So he flew her to an area of the city where a group of police officers were guarding a group of civilians.

He ignored the odd looks he received, it was expected, after all his appearance was very odd. And the people were terrified over the battle and being on a floating rock.

" She is severely injured. " He said to the nearest police officer, then gently laying Bella on the ground, hoping the movement wouldn't make any fractures worse.

He didn't know if the man spoke English, but Bella looked bad enough for them to know what he said, one of the police He flew away, to continue fighting the robots.

Not long after, the Hellicarrier arrived, along with the rescue crafts, that meant medical assistance too.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After the falling city was destroyed by Stark and Thor, and the last Ultron was destroyed by the 'Vision', Hill moved her attention to the distribution of the injured.

First, she went to where the medical team Fury had managed to put together was working. As expected, the hangar turned hospital was a mess of moving people.

" Alright, doc. What do you need? " She asked, walking over to the one in charge, who was moving from one person to the other.

" That corner over there needs a real hospital. Right now. " He said, pointing to the end of the mass of patients. The area with the bigger number of nurses and doctors, working quickly, trying to stabilize people. " The one next to it need it too, but can wait a little while, the rest are injured, but nothing too worrisome right now. Maybe a scrape here and there we missed. Maybe broken bones, that will start hurting after the adrenaline wear off. "

" Right. " She said, taking her tablet and working on finding hospitals near, walking towards the corner with the worse cases. She needed a number of people and a general idea of what was wrong in order to let the hospitals know.

Once there, one of the nurses got in charge of passing her the info, but Maria stopped when she saw the familiar face on the stretcher. A doctor and nurse, working on her. Bella.

" What's wrong with her? " Asked Hill.

" Broken rib, perforated her lung. More broken bones that we can count right now. We immobilized her neck, because we don't know the extent of her injuries. She seemed to be developing pneumonia too. Been exposed to cold temperatures, some dehydration, malnutrition. Not to mention the leg and arm that are just not made of normal flesh. "

Hill sent the information to the hospital these people were being sent to, adding a note for special care with Bella. She also sent the information to Stark.

" You make sure she comes out of this, okay? " She said. Receiving a nod that told her that they would do their best, but there was no guarantees.

* * *

After a battle, there was always the moment when he sat down, body filled with adrenaline, senses going crazy at the smaller of sounds and movements, though his body didn't move. The moment when his mind just calmed down. Focused on nothing but basic functions.

After the numbness passed, the realization of what had happened hit him. Relief and fear flooded his mind. Guilt. That feeling that he was in danger, they were all in danger because things just kept pilling up, going away.

That would have been what happened, if the job was finished. The other Avengers were done, but Tony wasn't.

He had received Hill's message, Bella was in a bad shape. Really bad shape. Usually in situations like that, he would call Helen Cho, but her lab and equipment were destroyed and she was still restoring them. And doing without her staff, that was killed. She had barely managed to put one of her portable machines together to heal her own injury.

He had FRIDAY compile a list of the best doctors in the world, who were specialized in the areas necessary to save Bella's life. Which ones weren't already been called by Hill to work on the survivors and get them to the hospital where she was being taken.

The crafts with the patients were ready to take off when he finally managed to get there. He should get in on the one Bella was, that's what he had thought. But he didn't.

He had met the girl before, when she was still just a random girl to him. Now, now she was his daughter. That was a whole different situation.

Something stopped him, he just couldn't get himself to get in, be with her like all those others' family members, concerned. Like a normal parent, because he wasn't.

So he stayed behind. FRIDAY would keep him updated.

He also had a few calls to make.

* * *

" Tony?! Oh, thank God. " Exclaimed Pepper over the phone. Her voice making him calmer, she was alive, he was alive. The world was in one piece. " I saw it on the news and I didn't know- "

" I'm okay, Pep. " He said. " We're all okay. Is over. "

" What exactly is over? " She asked. " I saw some robots were breaking into several technology facilities- "

" I can explain everything later. I... I have something else to tell you actually. " He said, already dreading all the ways in which that could go wrong.

" What? " She asked, fear in her voice. She was afraid he was hurt, he could tell.

" I found out that I have a daughter. " Better to rip the band aid right out.

Silence. Silence was bad. He was sure it was bad.

" What? " She asked, her voice lower, unbelieving.

" I have a daughter. She's fifteen. " He said.

" Oh, God. " Said Pepper, but to herself. He could hear she was getting emotional. " Wh- Who's her mother? "

" I... " He took a deep breath, this was going to sound bad. " I have her name, but... I don't remember her. Must have been drunk. "

" God. " Repeated herself Pepper. " I... God, Tony how could- " He heard her take a deep breath. " I need a moment. I need to- You know, I'm not even surprised. For years, I had been waiting for the moment this would happen. "

" Pep, I'm sorry- " He started, but she interrupted him.

" No. Just... I mean if she's fifteen, you were still... very you then. " She said. " I'm so glad you're alive Tony, but I need a moment. Just... wait for me to call you. "

She hung up. This could have gone worse, but this was still bad. She was pulling away, maybe just until she can digest the news or permanently, he didn't know. After all, this whole situation was a very clear reminder of who and how he was. Tony Stark, the drunk playboy.

He hoped she called back. Thing was, he wouldn't blame her if she didn't.

He couldn't think about it right now, he had to call his legal team. Bella's guardians, the ones she had run away from had to be warned, as also kept in the dark about what she was doing during the years on the street. She had broken many crimes, many and had a lot of bad people gunning for 'Robin Hood's ' head. The fewer people who knew about all that, the better, the safer.

He also had to put a file together on them. Make sure they were trustworthy people.

That wasn't even going through the list of things he had to do on the Avenger front. He was thinking somethings on the lines of a new and improve structure, physical and human.

He also had to get something to eat, if he didn't soon he would probably pass out. Sleep he still could do a lot of hours without, with the help of caffeine.

* * *

Gunnery Sargeant Tomas Perez, of the United States Marines expected many surprises during his days and nights, specially because he was deployed. He had to be ready for everything in the middle of a war. Middle East wasn't a joke, any of the conflict areas there were.

But he was truly completely surprised when his superior called him to let him know that he was going home.

" Why? " He asked, already dreading receiving some horrible news about his family.

" Allan's daughter. " Said the man, he had worked with George Allan, a lot of the more experienced ones in that unit had, they knew that after Emma's death the kid's custody had been passed to Tomas and his wife Helena. " They found her. Word is a private chopper is taking you to where she is. "

" Private? " Asked Tomas, confused.

" Found it odd too, but apparently is above my pay grade. "

" Okay, sir. When am I leaving? " He asked.

" Thirty minutes. " Said the man. " And... when you find out what's going on, let us know, okay? "

" Yes, sir. "

He ran to his tent, barely saying a 'Ask the Captain' when people asked him what was going on.

26 minutes after he was called and heard the news, a military helicopter was taking off with him in it.

After three years, three long years of wondering where she was or if she was even still alive, finally she was found.

" Can you tell me where we are going? " He asked to the co-pilot.

" We're only here to take you to the nearest airport, Gunny. " Said the woman.

And that was the most that he got from her and the pilot.

A few hours in the air, they got to a landing strip that had already a private plane ready, he barely got down from the helicopter, he was ushered in the private jet.

" Alright, can I know what's going on now? " He asked to the stewardess.

" I would not know, sir. " She said. " Can I offer you anything? "

" Water please. " He said. " Can you at least tell me who is paying for all these transports? "

" This is Mr Stark's private plane sir. " She said, then turning around to get him the water he asked for.

" Stark? As in Tony Stark? THE Tony Stark? Iron Man? "

She answered yes, placing the fancy looking glass with water in front of him.

What the hell had Bella gotten herself into? To have a freaking Avenger paying for his transport?

* * *

Tony had read the files his lawyers had put together on Tomas and Helena Perez, they seemed normal enough. Married after high school, had two kids, one 17, another 9. Finances not great, but not horrible. They have two mortgages on their house. Tomas looked to be a talented enough career military man. Helena was an accountant. Kids had average grades.

Average, nothing that would indicate they couldn't be trusted. Obviously George and Emma trusted them enough to name them his daughter's guardians in case they died.

He just had to meet them, see if anything felt off about them. Maybe set in place a financial assistance. Some sort of surveillance, protection detail. Something to make sure Bella didn't run away again.

He should also give a call to MIT. If her mind was busy with school, maybe, just maybe she would back out of her criminal career. Yeah, it was a long shot. He only spoke to her twice and he already knew that if she wanted to do something, she would. At least, she sounded to be like him enough to.

Tony still hadn't gone to visit her in the hospital, and she still hadn't woken up. Two days. He did manage to get a lot of work done before getting himself some sleep though. That was good to help clear his mind.

What truly helped, was hearing back from Pep.

" Alright, tell me everything. " She said simply.

He would have preferred to send her a file and let her read it away from him, but he did tell her. It took a while for him to finish talking. She didn't say much, just listened.

After he was done, she was silent for a moment.

" Poor girl. " She said, but more to herself. " What did the doctors say about her recovery? "

" The reports I got from FRIDAY tell me that she's stable, though still in a delicate state. I'll have her transferred to a better equipped place after the doctors say it's safe for her to be moved. "

" Reports? You mean you haven't been there? " She asked.

" No, I had other things to do- "

" She's your daughter, Tony. " She said.

" She hates me. "

" She doesn't even know you. And she is your responsibility. " She retorted, then sighing. " Do you want me to fly there? "

" No, why would you? Nothing to do here. "

" Tony, this is a lot to process- "

" I don't need you to hold my hand, I'm a big boy. "

" Clearly, you're the father of a teenage girl. "

He smiled at the good humored jab. She had taken it well, or at least it was looking like it.

" Just... go there and talk to her. See how she is. I mean, how is it going to be later? She has no one but you, Tony. "

" She has her guardians. They look good on paper. " He said.

" You mean you find out you have a kid and the first thing you do is hand her off? "

" I'm not handing anyone off, Pep. "

" You're doing it right now! " She exclaimed. " Tony, she's your flesh and blood. "

" I can't have this talk right now. " He said. " I have somethings to do. "

She sighed, seeming tired.

" Fine, but at least go visit her. "

" She's still unconscious. " He said.

" Go see her, Tony. She is your daughter, she almost died in the middle of one of the Avengers fights and she is going to be scared. " She said. " Please, go see her. Talk to her. "

He almost groaned audibly in frustration, he wasn't feeling very comfortable with it. But... Pepper did make sense.

" I'll try. " He said.

* * *

When Tony entered the hospital, he was very lucky not to have anyone recognize him. It gave him a clear way to the hall of the ICU. Tomas Perez was there, the marine had refused to meet him in another place. Also, hadn't used the hotel room Tony had reserved for him. His wife, Helena, couldn't come and remained in their home, in the US, she had no one to look after the kids. Unfortunate, he wanted to have a chance to take a look at both of them. But one was better than none.

The man was still in his uniform and looked tired, occupying one of the incredibly uncomfortable seats in front of the doors of the ICU. Tony took a moment to observe him. Medium height, strong built, honey colored skin, black eyes, black hair cut in the military way. Bags under his eyes, a styrofoam cup firm on his hand and a tired body language. He looked genuinely concerned, confused.

Tony approached, better to talk to this man before having his head bit off by a teenager that was too much like him for his own good.

" Tommy, nice meeting you. "

The man startled, snapping out of whatever place his head was at, looked up at him and stood up quickly.

" Mr Stark. " Tomas greeted him, offering his hand for him to shake. He took it quickly, noticing the firm hold the military man took on his hands. Steve and Rhodey were the same way, must be some sort of military thing. " So, you're the one who is going to tell me what is going on here? " Asked the man, eager.

" Straight to the point kind of guy? Good. " He said. " But this talk is better to be had someplace else. "

The man sighed, running a hand over his face.

" It's about her obsession with those international criminals? " Asked Tomas, in a low voice. " Knew she would get herself in trouble. " He looked at Tony again. " Was it big enough to involve the Avengers? And this Sokovia mess? "

" Follow me, I'll pay you a new cup of coffee. " Said Tony.

They left the hall, moving to where there was a coffee machine next to a vending machine. Tony got himself a candy bar and bought Tomas another coffee. Then, they left the hospital to a small garden that was in front of it, finding a spot there was empty, sitting on a bench.

" Alright. What happened? " Asked Tomas.

" Bella was in New York, a few days ago. In my Tower. " He said, starting the explanation that didn't include her criminal career. " She talked to my assistant and after a DNA test we found out that she is my daughter. "

The man looked at him like he couldn't decipher the words coming from his mind.

" George Allan probably never told you that he wasn't Bella's real fa- "

" He told me that he wasn't her biological father. " Interrupted him Tomas. " He was her real father, blood means nothing when he loved her as much as he did. He adored Bella, as his own. "

" Right, yeah, just manner of speaking. " Said Tony. " After that, the robot that caused all the destruction these last days kidnapped her, took her to Sokovia. "

" That's how she ended up here in this hospital? All bandaged up like that? Because of you? " Asked Tomas, pretty fast to grasp at the reason Bella was taken, Tony had been pretty fast to reach the same conclusion himself, but it was different to be accused like that.

" Can't be sure. "

Tomas took a deep gulp from his coffee, looking to be thinking.

" She shows up in your Tower, wanting a DNA test? " He asked, looking confused.

" Yes. " Said Tony, lying, he had made up a story that it was believable enough. He just had to make sure Bella heard of it too, she looked like she wouldn't want get Tomas and his family involved in this whole thing, so she might follow it. " She knew it, her mother told her. "

" That makes no sense. She hates you. " Said Tomas. " The 'not telling me' part I actually believe, she was very secretive after... Emma. But she was very vocal of what she hated and one of those things was your company and you. "

" She still does hate me. Very much. " Said Tony. " I couldn't tell you why she was there. "

A moment of silence fell, Tony taking a few small bites of his candy bar and Tomas finishing his coffee.

" Bella is your daughter. " Said Tomas, appearing to be finally taking in the information in its entirety. " What happens now? "

" She goes back home with you. " Said Tony. " It's the best option. She'll be safer this way. "

Tomas nodded, but didn't say anything for a few seconds.

" But she went after you. " He said.

" She doesn't want to be with me. " Said Tony. " Maybe letting me know, was just a way to hurt me. "

" And you don't want to be with her either? " Asked Tomas.

" She knows you. Her mother trusted you, thought that you were the right one to raise Bella in case she died. " Said Tony. " I'll help you financially. Security in your home. Maybe send her to college. It will be best this way. "

Tomas looked deeply at him, he looked back. Tony was glad to see the protectiveness in those eyes. The marine cared for Bella, Emma had chosen well.

" Now... I know you're worried, but how about you take a shower, go take a nap. No need to park permanently on that hall and depress everyone passing through you. Sounds good, huh Tommy? I wasn't going to say anything, but you're starting to smell. "

The man smirked, shaking his head.

" I guess I don't have to wonder where her personality came from anymore. "


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

She was in a fog, thoughts struggling to make sense. She felt weighted down. Memories from how she came to be in such a state not coming back, making her feel more confused than she already was.

She didn't like not knowing what happened, not understanding things, being confused. Panic rose to her chest.

Waking up in panic was not a pleasant experience, awareness of the environment and of her body came at the same time, scrambled together, because you can't think straight. And every second just got worse.

She opened her eyes, light assaulting them and she closing them fast. She tried moving her right arm, but couldn't. The attempt did make her feel a generalized pain across her body though.

She opened her eyes again, seeing white. It took her several attempts of keeping them open for her to see that the white wasn't a light being shone directly on her eyes, but the ceiling. There was beeping too. And a smell of chemicals that she only felt it in one kind of place before. A hospital.

Hospital. She was in a hospital after the fire. But... it wasn't that, she had left the hospital. She remembered things after that. Years of things actually.

What the hell was going on? She could feel a huge headache and her heart beating fast, which made her ribs hurt, breathing was starting to hurt too.

" Miss Allan? "

She startled, trying to move her head towards the sound but couldn't. Then she noticed how odd the angle of her head was, feeling something under her chin.

" Miss Allan, calm down, you're in the hospital. " Came the voice again.

She scoffed, feeling how dry her throat was, how the air coming in made her lungs hurt. She also felt something on her nose, a nasal cannula.

" I'm in a fucking hospital all tied up like some sort of B movie psychopath and you're telling me to calm the fuck down? That's shitty advicee. " She said, her voice hoarse and probably coming out like nothing more than a low intelligible noise.

A head came into her line a sight a man with a receding hairline, pale with too pink cheeks and a white medical jacket. The face was smirking so maybe she did manage to make intelligent sounds.

" You're still in a very delicate state, Miss Allan. You need to stop struggling and moving. "

" What happened? " She asked. Though in her mind, blurry images of metal and soldering were coming, along with tall metal figures. The dryness of her throat making her cough.

The pain that came from that was huge, tears coming to her eyes. She was used to pain, didn't mean she didn't feel it.

" Okay, okay. " Came the voice of the doctor, a hand on her shoulder. " Just breathe, coughing is not a good idea with broken ribs. We'll check how you're doing and then tell you what's going on okay? "

" Heck no. " She said, her throat still itching. " Water and an explanation. Now. "

A light was shone on her eyes, the doctor testing the reaction of her pupils.

" All in time. First we need you to heal, relax. " Said the doctor.

" Look, Frankenstein, stop playing and give me the answers I want. " She said, starting to cough again. And damn, the second wave of pain was just as bad as the first.

" Miss Allan, I am sorry, but I really need to check on how you are doing before indulging in your curiosity. " He said.

" I give zero fucks about that. " She tried to say, but it didn't come out well with her holding a cough back.

" Well the brain seems to be fine, if stubborn like a mule is in your normal. " Said the doctor to himself.

She was stubborn, but that doctor seemed to be too and she was in a lot of pain and a little hazy, so eventually the doctor managed to finish checking her up without giving her the answers she wanted and left.

* * *

The hospital had very strict rules about visiting hours for the ICU, visitors were allowed for no more than one hour and just one at the time. Tony didn't go in first, Perez did. She was sleeping, the doctor say that she managed to argue a lot when she came to, but it did take a lot out of her.

She woke but fell asleep very quickly during that day. Tony didn't go in. And the next one too. Tony didn't visit her the second day either.

Pepper had called him again, telling him that he should talk to her. See her. Still, that room seemed to be impossible to get into. So he stayed in the room he had taken in the hotel he owned in the city. Working, there was a lot of work to do.

The morning of the third day since she had regained consciousness started with a knock on the door of his hotel room.

" Come on, Tony! Open up. " Came Rhodey's voice.

" Rhodey! What are you doing here? " He asked, as he opened the door. " Miss me already? "

" Put something on, you're going with us to the hospital. " Said his friend.

" Us? " He asked, sticking his head out of the room and seeing Vision, with slacks, a button down shirt and sweaters, standing near the elevator. " Hey. "

" Hello, Mr Stark. " Came the answer.

It still very weird listening to JARVIS' voice and it not being JARVIS.

" We're loosing daylight, Tony. Change from these pajamas and let's go. " Said Rhodes, Tony looking back at him.

" About that- "

" No! You're talking to your daughter, today. " Interrupted him Rhodes. " Enough stalling. "

" Pepper called you, didn't she? " Asked Tony.

" She is under the impression that you would not actually do it unless someone dragged you. I was free and you know,- "

" Very curious? "

" Can you blame me? I want to know what a tiny you looks like. " Said Rhodes, with a side smile. " Now go, get dressed. " He added.

* * *

Memories of what had happened came back little by little on the last two days. Sokovia, HYDRA, New York, ULTRON, Sokovia again. And Seoul.

She still couldn't move her head much, given the height she had fallen from, her neck had moved too fast than stop so abruptly when she stopped falling, it hadn't made any permanent damage, but to avoid any complications, it was to remain still as it healed.

And that wasn't everything. It was easier to count what wasn't broken, fractured or bruised. She was in for a long recovery.

Not her first.

Then there was her limbs that were not broken. The new and more resistant ones.

She wished she had something to work on. To focus her mind in something that didn't make her so confused.

But she couldn't. Ultron, Sokovia, Seoul. It was all she though about. And all the messy emotions that those brought to her head.

She thought that it was bad enough, then Tomas walked in her room, as if she wasn't already feeling guilty.

The man liked to think of himself as a tough marine, but he was all mush. So she wasn't surprised to see his emotional face. Teary eyes, concern, relief, anger, happiness, confusion. He had a very expressive face.

" Bella, thank god. " He said, smiling and approaching the bed, taking her hand, carefully so not to hurt her. " I thought you were dead. You were just gone and no one knew of you. Now you're here and - " He looked over at her injured figured. " But you're alive. I'm so, so happy to see you. "

She fought not to show any emotion, but she couldn't help the teary eyes.

" Hi, Uncle Tom." She said. She knew the man since she was a baby, blood or not he was like family. Or as close as she had, before she didn't allow herself those things anymore.

He leaned down, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

" Hey. " He said, smiling and definitely crying now. " How are you? "

" Peachy. Just here because I like the food. " She said, forcing the tears not to fall.

He laughed a little, then moving to a chair, pulling it closer to the bed and sitting down, taking her right hand again.

Silence fell, before he took a deep breath.

" I talked to Tony Stark. " He then said, making her more nervous than she was. " All this time, you knew who your birth father was. "

" He's a sperm donor. " She retorted. " That man is no father of mine. "

" Then why did you go to New York to talk to him? " Asked Tomas.

She may be under the effect of a lot of drugs and in pain, but she was still a genius and could tell when things didn't add up. She didn't go to New York of her own free will, which meant Stark lied to Tomas about how she got there. Given the fact that the man didn't say anything about her criminal career, Stark didn't say anything about that either.

If he didn't know already, she wasn't saying anything.

" You step in to use the bathroom and the man already thinks it's all about him. " She said. " Guy's ego should have its own ZIP code. "

" You're lying to me. " He said.

" Am not. " She said.

He didn't push it, which was weird for the man, he didn't give up so easily, usually it took a few minutes.

Considering she was looking like a freaking mummy on that hospital bed, she guessed that was the reason.

" Helena wanted to come, but she had to stay with the kids. " Started Tomas, starting a very long explanation of how things were back at his place.

She listened, then the visiting time was over and he had to leave.

The second day was pretty much the same, he coming in, talking. When he made questions, the answers he got weren't exactly the truth.

Then the third day came. She was expecting Tomas to walk in, tell her about how his family was doing, what the people from his unit (her dad's old unit) were doing. That they were all happy she was found.

Instead, someone else walked in.

* * *

Tony wasn't one to doubt himself, if he ever got in a situation he wasn't ready for or something similar, he just put on a confident smile and strode his way through it.

This was different though. Usually he didn't give a rat's ass about what people thought, because their opinions didn't matter. But this was a girl who was his daughter, his blood and she hated him. Unlike everyone else, he cared about what she thought. He hoped he didn't, but he did.

The doctor told him he could enter, but he paused at the door, getting himself together first. He would have turned away and left, if Rhodey wasn't there to call him a coward if he did.

He took a deep breath, got his expression under control, calm and relaxed. Then he turned the doorknob and opened the door.

Two half closed eyes turned to him, framed by a too pale face, left half of it scarred, on a head that was immobilized by a collar. Those same eyes opened fully when they saw him.

He had seen her picture before, but he noticed only now, she had his eyes.

" You must be lost. There's no press conference here, Stark. " Came the tired voice, but it sure still carried the bite that he had heard on the quinjet. " What the fuck are you doing here? "

" Should be obvious. Here to see the daughter I never knew I had. " He said.

" You already did, now you can turn around and leave. " She said.

" No. " He said, moving further into the room. " You're stuck with me here. At least for the next 59 minutes. "

" Or I can call the nurse from hell stationed outside and she can drag you out. " Said Bella, a hand the same color as Vision's moving to the side, where there was a button for her to push and call for help.

" Coward. " He said, hoping it would stop her.

" Just because I don't want to talk to you, doesn't mean I'm a coward, Stark. It means that I'm the only person with common sense in this freaking planet. " She said, reaching the button and pressing it.

" You won't even try to know me then? " He asked.

" I already know you, Stark, that is the beauty of the Internet. And you are a reoccurring character on it. " She said, then struggling not to cough.

His track record online wasn't really the best.

A nurse got in the room, in her mid forties, hair in a tight bun and a frown on her face.

" Ratched, my dear, could you please take him out of here? He's upsetting me. " Said Bella. " Really getting in the way of my recovering. "

The woman's frown deepened at the nickname, but she turned to Tony anyway.

" Mr Stark, you were warned. " She said.

" Yes, you were really emphatic, but she's over-reacting. You can leave, we'll be fine. "

" Hell we are. " Said Bella, coughing and wincing from the pain the action brought.

The nurse forgot about dragging him out and moved to Bella, waiting for her to stop coughing and then giving her a small sip of water.

" Mr Stark, I believe you when you say she is lying- " Started the nurse, a low and annoyed 'Hey!' coming from Bella. " Or just being plain annoying.- "

" You love me and you know it. " Retorted Bella, smirking at the nurse, who frowned at her. " Have I ever told you how beautiful your smile is? "

The woman rolled her eyes, seeing that Bella was now fine and turned to billionaire.

" Anyway, despite all that, my job here is to make sure that she gets better as fast as possible for her not to need to be here anymore. " Said the nurse, Tony noticed that Bella wasn't the best of patients, giving how her personality was close to his. " If your presence upsets here- "

" It does. "

" - you will need to leave. " Said the nurse. " Your celebrity won't gain you any special treatment here. "

He noticed the smirk on Bella's face at that.

" Give me a few minutes, there are some things I need to tell her. Can't wait. " He said, giving the woman a firm look, that hopefully passed how important it was for him to talk to her.

The 'Ratched' comments must have really gotten under the woman's skin, because she nodded.

" Fifteen minutes, not a second more, when I open that door, you better step out right away. And if she presses that button again, you're out immediately. " She said, then leaving and closing the door behind her.

" Ratched, I had high hopes for you. " Commented Bella. " What a disappointment. "

Tony moved further in the room, taking the chair and sitting down.

He thought about talking to her about Sokovia and Ultron, about her 'work', but eventually decided to ask something that bothered him ever since Hill told him about Bella.

" For how long have you known about me? " He asked.

A tired breathless chuckle was the answer he got.

" None of your business. " She said.

" It actually is. "

" Well, I'm not in the mood of sharing. I make it a priority of mine not to talk to murderers. " She said, looking at him with a hateful glare. " Specially ones who like to spend their time building genocidal AIs. "

Wow, she didn't pull any punches. Straight to the throat.

" I wasn't the one who went with him to help with his plan. " He retorted. He knew it was a low blow, but he hoped that it would at least keep her talking.

The increase in the heart rate showed him that maybe he had gone too far.

" Well, after my impressive muscles did nothing, I kinda wanted to see what he was all about. " She said with sarcasm.

Obviously she had no chance against him, no normal person did and Bella was small and very skinny for a fifteen-year-old. But at least she was still talking.

" I know. " He said. " Natasha said that you were the one giving her the radio for her to talk to us and the intel about how the machine worked. She sounded actually a little impressed about how you did it all without Ultron knowing. According to her, it was hard. "

" Wow, I got the seal of approval of the assassin. Lucky me. " She said with poison in her voice.

" You are. Natasha doesn't give those out at random. " He said. " But serious, would have taken us a lot longer to figure out how to stop it without your intel. "

" Heat seal. " She whispered to herself, but the room was quiet enough for him to hear it.

" Heat seal. " He confirmed it, getting an annoyed roll of eyes as an answer. He couldn't exactly pin point what he felt, but it made him slightly happy to hear that she was smart enough to have figured that out. Now he had to use of the time he had, to tell her things that he had to tell her, he wasn't lying to Ratched about that. " I spoke to Perez, he looks like a good man. "

" Surprised to have seen what that looks like? " She asked, glaring at the ceiling.

He ignored the comment.

" I can see why Emma chose him to take care of you, he honestly cares about you. That's why, after you are okay to travel, you're going to a private clinic in the US, then back to his custody. " He said.

" You can take your private clinic and shove it, I don't want your help. " She said, swallowing dry and forcing herself not to cough again.

" You're going. " He said. " And you're also forgetting your cyber criminal thing too. That's done. "

" You have no right to dictate what I do or not. " She said, looking at him, it was an odd angle but she still managed to have that life in her tired eyes. She was as much as a hard head as he was.

" I do and that's what I'm doing. You're going back home and when you're better, you're going to college. Forgetting your online persona. " He added in a firm voice.

" The Hell I am. " She said. " What is this? Putting me in a controlled bowl so that there is no danger of people finding out you got drunk and knocked up someone you never met before? " She asked with a fake humored tone. " Don't worry Stark, I have no intentions of letting people know of you. The last thing I want is to be constantly reminded of a monster such as the Merchant of Death when I have much more important things to do. "

That hurt. He didn't let it show on his face, but that hurt a lot. He had spent every day since Afghanistan trying to get himself rid of that cursed nickname. Still, it stuck to him, like a shadow that would never let go.

" You were messing with very dangerous things, kid. " He said, getting an eye roll as answer. " I'm not putting this up for debate. I'm telling you how this would be. You're not doing that anymore. You could have died on HYDRA's hands or on the street.- "

" On the hand of your newest creation. "

He ignored the interruption.

" You're not living like that anymore. " He said, in a tone that he hoped would get her to figure out he wasn't playing.

" I would like to see you try and stop me. " She retorted, looking at him in the eye.

" You will. "

She smirked, looking back to the ceiling.

" It is going to be one hell of a sight when the 'AllMighty', 'AllKnowing' Anthony Stark realizes he's wrong. Too bad I'll be too busy being as far away as possible that I'll miss it. "

She swallowed dry, her left hand, the only thing she could move basically, slowly going to the small desk that was next to it, the plastic cup with water and a straw on it.

He stood up, his hand going to the cup, to help. An instinct, the way she was all tied up and looking like a mummy, she would have a hard time drinking without help.

" You touch that cup I'll throw it on your face. " She said, making him stop. " Don't need your help. "

" Actually, you do. " He said, moving and taking the cup. Getting it close to her face, the straw right against her mouth.

" I'm not drinking that. Put that where you got it. " She said.

" Not until you drink. "

" Put that back. " She said, swallowing dry again.

" No. "

" Yes. "

" No. "

" Yes. "

" No. "

" Yeah. "

" No. "

" Yeah. "

" No. "

" Ye- " She was in the middle of saying yes again, but started to cough. The face contorting in pain from the strain on her lungs and ribs.

He put the cup back and looked at her, feeling a little helpless without anything he could do. When five seconds passed and she still didn't stop, he pressed the button to call the nurse.

Of course, he got kicked out of the room. Rhodey and Vision were in the hall when he left the ICU.

" That was fast. " Said Rhodey.

" Nurse Ratched kicked me out. " He said.

" I thought her name was Jenkins. " Said Vision, who was sitting in one of the chairs and reading an old comic book someone had left there. Tony ignored the lack of knowledge of pop culture, the android knew quite a lot of it, from ULTRON's and JARVIS' memories, but there were some references that he didn't get yet. Still, better than Cap. " Do you think I will be still able to speak with her today? "

" Not sure, she's kinda pissed off. And coughing. About that, why do you want to talk to her? " He asked.

" She and I are connected by ULTRON'S actions. " Said Vision. " I remember much of the time she spent with him. I wish to talk about it. "

Tony looked at the android, once again thinking about how the android was JARVIS and ULTRON, and none of them. He also wondered for the hundredth time why had ULTRON captured Bella for.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

She was beyond pissed off, the talk with Stark had truly ruined whatever was still good about her day. The SOB.

Not only he had learned about her, now he wanted to manage her life? Tell her what to do or not, as if she was one of his employees? Heck no. She was no push over.

The second she could move, she was out of there. She had work to do.

It would break Tomas' heart again, but... she couldn't stay. She HAD to work. His family, it had no room for her, not mattering his good intentions.

She had no more place in her life for family. She had one once and it crumbled, she had made her peace with that. Well, not exactly peace, but she knew that it didn't have a point of return from that.

She was feeling better now that she wasn't coughing and she had a while to just rest. Then someone had to come in.

Without even opening the door.

* * *

Vision had memories and knowledge of two different non-human entities, all mixed with... something... that was the Mind Stone. Or maybe even something else that he couldn't pinpoint.

He lived in a constant state of questioning what made him, HIM. Something that he knew people didn't usually did, they just accepted that they were WHO they were.

He knew that he liked dull colored clothes, maybe because it went along with his skin. Maybe he just didn't like too bright colors, they were very harsh on his eyes.

He knew that he liked puzzles, from the newspapers he had read ever since he came to be. Maybe it was the AI in him.

He knew that he hadn't enjoyed the comic he had read on the waiting room. It wasn't awful, but he just didn't see himself buying one and reading again. His apologies to Mickey Mouse.

He knew that between a man and a woman, it was easier for him to find a woman attractive. On the way to the hospital, for example, he noticed a very beautiful brunette on the street.

He also knew that, at least for the time being, he would have complicated emotions when it came to Bella Allan.

ULTRON had found in her a comfort for his loneliness. A way to find someone else to be connected to. He talked to her, he understood (or tried to) aspects of the human experience from her answers. He in a way, truly cared for her.

JARVIS saw her as Mr Stark's daughter and therefore worthy of the same protection that the AI had over her father. It was his job, the objective of his existence of serving and protecting Tony, she was his daughter, she had to be protected too, even more than Tony's friends and associates. Tony had done his job well with JARVIS, he cared for the billionaire and for default, he cared for Bella.

Vision cared for Bella, he wanted her safe and well. He knew that it didn't make sense for her to believe in ULTRON's plans and was able to see what ULTRON was unwilling or unable, she was only playing along. She was scared of him. But she did share his opinions of the Avengers. She did believe the world had to change, the problem were his methods. That was confirmed by Miss Romanoff later, when he talked to her or heard her talking to others.

He didn't hate the Avengers, as a group or individually, on the contrary, he liked them. He wondered if that fact was enough for Bella to hate him.

He phased through the door, seeing her look away from the ceiling and look at him. The first thing on those eyes was fear.

" Hello, Miss Allan. " He greeted.

If she wasn't so filled with medical tapes and casts, she would have been more obviously tense. He could tell by the way her wrist closed. A wrist made of the same thing he was, another thing that connected them. That part of ULTRON's memories was not passed to him, but the thinking of it was.

" I thought you were supposed to have been destroyed by the Avengers. " She said. " You told me that. "

" I am not ULTRON. " He said.

She frowned, apparently finally noticing that his voice wasn't like Ultron's.

" Stark put his AI in ULTRON's body? " She asked, probably remembering the voice from the short time she spent at the Tower.

" I am not JARVIS either. I am something different. " He said. " They call me Vision. "

" And whose vision are you? " She asked, suspicious.

" I'm afraid I do not fit any of the visions they had for me. Nor ULTRON's, nor Mr Stark's and Dr Banner's. " He said. " I am me. "

" That's very self-help for my taste. " She said, raising an eyebrow. " You're not going to try to sell me a 'be yourself' book, are you?

He smiled, walking a little further into the room.

" I am not. " He said.

" Then why are you here? " She asked.

" I wanted to see how you were doing. "

" Peachy. " She answered. He smiled at the sarcasm. " Why are you really here? "

" The reason I told you. Or is that so hard to believe? " Asked Vision.

" Little bit. " She said.

She didn't trust him and he didn't blame her, a lot had happened and she was a distrusting person in the best of circumstances.

" Well, I possess memories and knowledge of both JARVIS and ULTRON. " He said. " I am both a neither. Mr Stark created me too. We are connected in a way. "

" Great another AI with family delusions? " She asked, rolling her eyes. " So what? Came to see how big sis was recovering? "

" If you would like me to use that word, but I don't believe you would. " He said. " Can't we just say I care for you? And wish you well? "

" Let's just say the last one to say that, was insane enough to try to destroy the planet and throw me from hundreds of feet above the ground. " She said.

" ULTRON was... confused. Hurt. " He said. " I have said I am not him. "

" Pardon me if I don't buy it. " She said, looking him up and down. " So, you're like... as Ultron and Cho designed, real boy with no strings and all? " She huffed. " Gotta say... impressive work. "

" I believe so too. " He said.

" Since you're all bent on talking... how about you fill me in on the details these people are holding out on me? " She asked, curious.

" The nurse said to not upset you. " He said.

" Not knowing is very upsetting. " She retorted.

He went over the memories he had of the girl. She was too much like Tony to be calm while knowing she was being kept in the dark.

" What do you want to know? "

* * *

She was glad that Vision (seriously he needed a real name) decided to tell her everything she had missed. She was going crazy not knowing what had happened.

When she was falling from the sky, a part of her was sure that the world was going to end. That the Avengers wouldn't be able to do anything.

Well, that didn't happen. And now she knew why.

That Vision guy was friends with the Avengers, which bothered her. Also, he 'killed' ULTRON. She didn't exactly know if the robot should be considered a life. But he had a mind, emotions. If there was one thing that she had placed as a guide on her life, it was that all lives should be protected. Or at least that no one deserved to be murdered. If not for their mistakes being redeemable, but for the fact that taking a life was a monstrous thing. Once you did that, you could not be forgiven.

But Vision could have been manipulated into it, he WAS a day old when it happened.

As Vision finished telling her what she wanted to know, his visit time ended, nurse Ratched kicking him out. He left saying that he would visit again.

She said for him not to bother, she didn't want Stark's spies around her.

After a little time, the door opened again, (and seriously, what was up with the million visits?) Colonel Rhodes walked in with a smile that was supposed to be taken as friendly.

" Hi, I'm- " He started.

" I know who you are. " She said. " Question is... what are you doing here? "

" To meet you. "

" Wow, I thought this was a hospital, not a zoo to have people come to stare at me like a rare animal. " She said, wishing these people would just leave her alone, she hated being in front of people without her hoodie covering her face.

He smirked, going to the chair by the bed.

" You really are his kid, aren't you? That particular brand of humor, it's branded Stark. "

She glared at him, seriously she was already tired and he came here and told her she was like Stark?

" I didn't know they taught classes on humor in the army. You're like an expert. " She said with sarcasm.

" It was not an offense kid. " He said, looking at her with a look that indicated he hadn't been offended, more like he expected it.

" You come here and compare me to Stark and you expect it not to be offensive? " She asked, raising an eyebrow.

He looked at her with a look that was too much like pity for her to be comfortable with.

" He's not a bad guy, Bella. " He said.

" No, bad doesn't quite cut it. " She retorted. " Merchant of Death is not how you call someone who is just 'bad'. "

" He doesn't go by that anymore. " Said Rhodes.

" It's not a self-given title. " She said. " It's branded on him, he can't ditch it the second he starts feeling 'sorry'. "

She knew that her disgusted, resentful tone was unusual for people her age, not surprisingly she was unlike all people her age she had ever met, unlike anyone she ever met, by the way. That startled others, surprised them.

Rhodes seemed to be one of the surprised ones, from the way he swallowed dry and adjusted himself on his seat. If he thought that was hard to deal with, he had to see her in full health.

" Bella, I know you suffered- "

Bella made a disgusted sound, interrupting him.

" Please don't come with the cheap psychology, Dr Phil. " She said. " My life is none of your business. "

" Actually, Tony is your dad, he's my best friend, so that makes me your honorary uncle. " He said.

" He's a drunk sperm donor. " She said. " And I don't do 'big family moments'. "

She had enough of the man, so she reached for the button that called the nurse.

" Well, I don't know about big, but you have family now. " He said. " I know how to handle sarcastic moody genius so you're not getting rid of me. Or anyone else for that matter. "

The door opened and the nurse from hell walked in.

" I'm tired. All these visits wore me out. " She told the woman. " Can you kick him out? "


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The enraging thing about being underage was that people just didn't listen to you. Even when you were clearly smarter than all of them combined and right. People just looked at Tomas and asked for what he thought, completely ignoring her. The nerve.

She was suddenly reminded of why she hated hospitals so much. She always ended up in them for freakin' forever. With injuries that rendered her practically useless, physically, but not mentally. There was nothing interesting in those places, messing with the staff was only fun for so long, so she slowly went crazy for not having nothing to do.

After an eternity of messing with the people of the ICU and sleeping a lot, she apparently was well enough to be transferred. She told whoever was near that they could shove the private plane and clinic where the sun doesn't shine, but did they listen? Noooooo.

If she had a computer, they would all wake up with the most messed up online lives of the planet.

So, she was transferred, of course Tomas wanted her to be transferred to the fancy clinic. At least Stark and buddies didn't show up again.

After many hours in the plane, which she was glad to be drugged for most of, the nurse accompanying them was a talker, they landed in a private airfield, then transferred to an ambulance. That drove them to some huge private property with perfectly manicured gardens and a lot of smaller little mansions around the main big ass one.

Seriously that place must have costed more than some countries spent in a year. Maybe even more than a year.

Tomas was all excited and smiling, trying to get her to stop sulking, but it didn't work.

Her room there, was bigger than the size of the master suite of her parent's house. Huge. No one needed that much space. They even had a room for Tomas there. The place was like one fancy apartment with doctors and nurses at every corner.

Every corner was a reminder that Stark was the one paying for everything.

This was going to be one long recovery.

* * *

Tomas was walking in the garden, the morning sun hitting him in the face. His cell pressed against his ear.

" Hello. " Came his wife's voice.

" Hi, Corazón. " He greeted back.

" Hey, honey. " She said. " How are things there? "

" It's good. It's... I have to say looks like a freakin palace. " He said, looking around. " We wouldn't have money to even drive by the door here. "

His wife already knew that Stark was Bella's biological father, and that it wasn't going to change anything about the custody situation. Their kids didn't know that detail and he didn't want them to know yet, at least until he could figure out a way of having them not telling everyone on the planet about it.

" Well, given who is footing the bill, not surprising. " She said. " I guess that Bella is just... loving it? " She asked, her tone showing that the woman imagined how badly the teenager's humor was about it.

" Yeah. These people are already taking a deep breath before walking in her room. " He said, with a smile.

" Is that dad? " Came a voice in the background, his eldest, Roberta.

" Just a second honey. " Said his wife to their daughter.

" Isn't he coming home? " Asked his daughter, getting closer to the phone, her voice annoyed. " I thought that he was coming home, not babysitting freaky baby Einstein. "

" Roberta! " Chastised Helena.

He could hear a grunt.

" I'm back. " Said his wife to him.

" So... things are not good there? " He asked. The relationship between Bella and his kids was always... edgy at best. The genius girl was awful at relating to people her age. Or around it. Or younger. Or older. Relating to people in general.

" They're getting used to it. Ed would be more excited, but he's following Roberta's lead on the 'not liking Bella' front. "

Tomas sighed, running a hand through his hair.

George was like a brother to him, and he felt like Bella was family. But the thing was, he was alone in it. Helena was always supportive and treated Bella with all the love she could, but the girl was a challenge. His kids were just confused and felt like the girl was intruding on their life, 'stealing' their parents with the whole 'poor amputated orphan girl' routine, even if it wasn't a routine.

Bella, not surprisingly didn't do anything to make it easier. And he knew that it wasn't her fault, it was who she was. Always had been that way, it only got worse after the accident.

" It's not going to get any easier now. " He said. " If she isn't annoying the staff, she's... quiet. Very quiet. "

" That's not good. "

He knew Bella for a long time, the only time she's been quiet like that, was before she ran away. When a motor mouth like that started being quiet, you could tell that something was really wrong.

" But how about her recovery? " Asked Helena, moving to a hopefully easier subject.

" She'll pull through. " He said. " But... she's definitely been starving. She's so skinny. Pale, like her skin hadn't seen the sun for god knows how long. And it's like she's... She was a little pessimistic before, but now she's bitter. Feels like I'm talking to someone a lot older. "

He would never disappoint George and Emma by giving up on Bella, but he always wondered if he was up to the task. The little girl that existed when George was still alive was possible, but by each tragedy, she got harder and harder to handle.

" She's been through a lot. And never truly healed. " Said his wife, offering some hope. " She just needs time. "

" We thought that the last time. Next thing we knew she had run away. " He said.

" Maybe a therapist? "

" Remember the last one? " Asked Tomas. " The woman was on the edge of tears when Bella came out of her office. "

" Yeah, she said for us never to come back. " Remembered his wife. " Maybe Mr Stark knows of someone more... resistant? "

" I'll see, but to be honest, the man looked like someone who spent his entire life avoiding this type of professional. "

" Like Bella. "

" Yes. " He said, chuckling. " They are definitely related those two. " He looked around the garden, a few nurses scattered around, some helping patients walk. " Look, give a kiss to the kids, I have to get back in there. "

" Right, go. I'll call you tonight. "

" Besos, Corazón. " He said.

" Besos, Amor. " She said, then hanging up.

He placed his phone on his pocket, taking a breath of the clean air of the mid-morning. The gentle sun on his skin.

He looked around the well manicured garden.

" Damn, should have been born rich. " He said.

* * *

The thing about being alone for three years was that she was used to making all decisions about her life. Even counting the situations that were outside anyone's control, as it tend to happen on the streets, her actions as she reacted to them, those were under her control.

In that clinic, there wasn't much under her control. She was finally able to move her neck (though the doctor told her not to move too fast or in too extreme angles), but broken bones healed slowly. It meant that going whatever she wanted was not on the list of things she could do.

Then there was the meals like, a billion times a day. She felt her stomach heavy and full every time another tray came in the room. There was no way that a human being was hungry that many times a day.

Sure it wasn't like a whole banquet every time, but still, no way she could eat all of it. Not to mention those vitamins of multiple fruits and vegetables that were as heavy as a meal. Just because the doctor told her to eat and drink those, it didn't mean she would. Hell no.

Fighting the staff over her not eating wasn't fun anymore, it was exhausting. Tomas taking the staff's side on the subject wasn't helping her either.

But that wasn't the worse. The worse was the absolute boredom. Every second she was in that bed, was reminder that she had to work.

The events of Sokovia would have the whole planet in a mix of fear and relief. Fear being the main one on her mind. Fear always made the international arms dealing wheel go round.

She was missing important things. She HAD to work! At least, know what was going on outside this stupid high priced prison!

" No. "

" Come on! " She asked again.

Tomas looked away from the TV, that was on a movie channel, to look at her.

" You have to focus on resting. "

" I am BORED. " She said. " My brain is turning to mush, just give me your phone! "

" No. "

" Pleeeeeeeeaaaaase! " She asked again, dragging the word for a very annoying time.

" Noooooooooooo. " He answered in the same way.

" You know, if you do, I can make sure that it's more effective. Faster. Free Internet. " She offered.

" I'm good with my Internet as it is. "

She huffed, the man would be happy without internet any day. Dinosaur habits.

" Are you sure Roberta is? " She asked. " Her phone bill must be HUGE. With that amount of friends. "

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

" And the legality of that? "

" The law on that is... gray. "

" Yeah, no thanks. " He said, turning back to the movie.

" I was afraid of that. You have forced my hand. " She said, taking a deep breath. One thing about Tomas, when he hated a song, he really hated a song.

So 'I'm a Gummy Bear' it was.

She had to laugh at his glare.

She was about to go insane herself with the annoying song until he broke.

" Fine! "

He stood up and took his cellphone from his pocket, putting it on her hand (the 'new' one).

" Thank you, oh kind sir. " She said, with a sarcastic smile.

" Lord help me. " He said. " Try to keep it in one piece. " He added sitting back on the armchair.

" No promises. " She said, suddenly she wasn't so bored anymore.

* * *

Tony didn't go visit her in the clinic, he didn't call Tomas, the marine man called him and he answered, but he didn't call. He checked all the emails with updates on her recovery, but made sure that she never knew he was doing it.

It was better, simpler, this way. He had a lot to do after all.

When she got better enough to leave the clinic, Tomas took her home. He just hoped it was for good.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Bella looked to the passing streets as she leaned back on her seat in the car. Her grip strong on the backpack that had finally been returned to her, her precious equipment inside.

The streets were the same, making her realize that it hadn't been an eternity since she last saw them, as it had felt for her.

" Everyone is really eager to see you. " Said Tomas, next to her in the cab.

" Yeah, don't doubt it. " She said, with sarcasm. " Everyone loves to know the parasite is back. "

" Come on. " He said. " They don't think you're a parasite. "

" That would require the ability to think. " She muttered to herself.

" Bella! " He chastised her, apparently the years didn't do anything to his hearing.

" Fine, sorry. " She said.

" Look, kiddo. Just try, okay? You may not think so, but we really missed you. We were worried. " He said, sounding sad.

Damn.

" Sorry, Uncle Tom. " She said. " I just... know it won't work. These things are not for me. "

" What things? "

" Nothing, forget I said anything. "

" No. What was it? "

She sighed.

" Not gonna make me talk. " She said. She knew that the man remembered how he would never win when she put her mind up to something. She still hadn't met someone more stubborn, and annoying, as she was when she wanted.

When she heard him sigh, she knew she had won.

The taxi finally pulled up in front of the two-story house. The light blue walls the same as they always were. So was the grass and the tree in front.

But the windows and door were different.

" Renovated? " She asked, as they stepped out. The cab driver getting out of the car and going to the trunk and getting his duffel bag and her smaller bag too. Tomas had showed up with it, a couple of set of clothes her size in it.

" Yeah. Thought it was necessary. " He said.

She looked at him, somehow the way he said it, was off. Not his normal.

" Really? " She asked. " Why? "

" Just safer. " He said, going towards the house and turning to her as she didn't follow. " Come on, Bella. Helena made a dinner for us. There's chocolate cake for dessert. "

She wasn't going to be able to run away again by literally running. She was still a little weak and sore from her injuries. Physiotherapy only went so far. Not mentioning that she and running did not go together.

Also, her new legs and arm were heavy. As were her prosthetics, but it was different, her prosthetics felt like something outside her that was heavy. These limbs felt like SHE was heavy. She tried not to think of it as the memories of ULTRON and her guilt weighing her down.

She followed him, staying behind as he knocked on the door frame, then taking a loose key from his pocket and unlocking the door.

She took notice of the key, it was not regular, but made for a much trickier lock than your usual home had. No ordinary thief would be able to pick it.

" Hello? " He asked, stepping in.

She ran her hand through the wood as she walked in. It was dry, but looked brand knew. No way it would stay that white for long. Had to have been painted after they found her. It had been a few months and would give them more than enough time.

" Dad! " Came a female voice. Oh great, Miss Stick-up-her-bottom herself, Roberta.

A tall 17 year-old girl with dark brown hair and honey colored skin ran down the stairs that were practically the first thing one would see after entering the house.

" Ro! " Greeted Tomas, dropping the bags he was carrying and hugging her as his daughter jumped on him. " I missed you, baby! "

" I missed you too, papá. " She said, hugging him tightly as noises indicated the other residents of the house were arriving.

She let go of the hug, then finally looking at Bella. Helena coming from where the kitchen was and Edgar running down the stairs. The boy ran to his father and the teenager finally turned to Bella, who was closer to the door.

" Hi, Bella. " She said, looking her over. " How are you? "

God, the girl was a terrible actress. She clearly was following her mother's orders and trying to be nice.

" Peachy. " She answered, looking up. Curse her shortness.

" Okay. " Said the girl, nodding.

" Bella. " Came Helena's voice, the woman approaching and giving her a hug. By instinct, she tensed at the contact. Too long without hugs and living on the streets did horrible things to her ability to receive physical affection. After what felt like too long, the brunette woman released the hug and looked down at her face, placing one hand on each side of her face.

" Niña, we were so worried. We missed you so much. "

She felt guilty, Helena was a very nice woman. But she stepped away, the hands away from her face and her heartbeat stopping its increasing rhythm.

" Hi, Helena. " She greeted back.

" Hey. " Said Edgar, appearing behind his mother. Bella ignoring the look on Helena's face. " Cool! You changed your arm. I like red. "

She immediately pulled her long sleeve lower, hiding her hand.

" Yeah, I thought about trying something a little more discreet. " She said, sarcastic, as Helena glared at her son. Roberta face palming and Tomas just closing his eyes and breathing deep.

" How about we go to the living room? " Asked Helena. " We can talk all of us together, like a family. "

" Great idea. " Said Tomas.

Hell it was. Thought Bella. Sit there and see the happy family as she was the odd spare piece that was dropped off there? Helena placed one arm around her and guided her to the living room, the rest of them following and sitting on the couch and armchairs. Bella wanting to get away from the hands.

Bella sat on the armchair furthest from the others, gripping her backpack as Edgar and Roberta talked to their dad. Asking about him. They had done what their mother asked and were polite to her, but honestly, Tomas was the one they were waiting for. The one who they wanted there.

She looked around the house, noticing the knew windows from the inside, connected to the new alarm, that was visible from where she was sitting. The alarm was not one of those that worked with a password, but with eye scanning and fingerprints.

Too expensive.

Stark.

She looked back at Tomas, who was too busy being happy to be with his family to notice her glare. Helena seemed to feel it though and looked at her.

" Done some renovations, Helena? " She asked.

" Yeah. We decided to upgrade the security. "

" Why? " She asked, seeing the moment of doubt in her eyes, and in Tomas' as the others looked between the two of them.

" Maybe it's to keep you from running again. " Said Roberta, annoyed. The teenager never hid the fact that she didn't like Bella.

" Roberta! " Chastised the parents.

" It's true! You two almost died of worry after she ran away! All we ever talked about in this house was: 'Where's Bella? Where did she go? Is she okay?' She's so selfish, she didn't even apologize for doing that! " Replied Roberta.

Bella knew that people would worry, at least Tomas and Helena would, and it did hurt to hear that they reacted like that. But she ran away for a reason, she was risking her life by doing what she did as 'Robin Hood', she couldn't bring danger to them. Not for Tomas' sense of duty to her dad and mom. He didn't deserve to have to put up with her when she knew she couldn't be normal.

But no way she would let Roberta have the last word.

" It's so good to see that you're still great in talking out of your ass. " Said Bella. " Did you win the 'You don't know what you're talking about' Competition? Or did they make you an honorary winner every year? " Her sarcastic tone had only gotten better with the years and she knew that she was making a tense situation worse. But she couldn't help it, her mouth had a will of its own.

" Bella! " Chastised Tomas. " You two, enough of this. "

" I know that this will take some getting used to and we are all emotional and hurt. But fighting will do no one no good. " Said Helena. " We are a family. So you two apologize now. "

Roberta was a hot head, but very malleable when Helena and Tomas called her up on her behavior. Bella wasn't. Tomas could get her to bend a little bit before she ran away, now after three years surviving alone on the streets she was even harder to bend. It didn't help that Roberta always seemed to get under her skin.

A recipe for her to say things without considering others emotions.

" Hell I am. " She said. " I have no family. "

She didn't wait to see their reaction, though she did see Roberta's 'See?' expression to her parents. She stood up and went to the stairs, climbing fast and feeling the dulled pain from her bones from the fast movement.

She didn't look back as they called her name. She just went to where her room used to be and was glad to find that it still was. She slammed the door behind her and locked the door.

She felt like she was burning up from the inside, all these emotions she didn't want there trying to get out. But if they did, she felt she would explode.

She was feeling betrayed for having Tomas and Helena team up with Stark. Like they had let him built a prison for her on that house. She was guilty for them worrying over her. She was feeling trapped, like the walls were closing around her and taking her air away. She was feeling powerless, like she was a doll being handed and moved around as she had no will of her own. She was hurting, as always when she was there, the house reminded her of things she didn't have anymore, a time when she had her family and her home. She didn't want to be there and think about things she lost. She was angry. She was always angry.

She was breathing hard, not being able to handle all those emotions without tearing up. She went to the bed, sitting down and placing the backpack in front of her.

The window of her room, the route for the first time she ran away, was new. And of course connected to the new super fancy alarm Stark had payed for.

She looked at her backpack and the hands holding it still. Her left one in particular.

She also felt good to be able to feel again. She felt the fabric beneath her fingers. But she did it with fingers that were placed there against her will. By someone who almost destroyed the world. Ultron was also someone who made her feel too much and she couldn't handle it.

She had to focus on something else.

She opened her backpack, taking out all the equipment and putting it on top of her bed, along with the tools inside.

She took the laptop and started taking it apart. Looking for any bugs that might have been placed inside.

* * *

She was surrounded by parts when the knock came to her door. It had taken longer than she thought it would, but less than she hoped.

The doorknob turned, the person outside realizing it was locked.

" Bella. " Came Helena's voice. " Open the door. "

She sighed, her shoulders slumping. Her head was still a mess and she didn't want to deal with that.

" Bella. " Called Helena again, knocking. " Please unlock the door. "

She looked up, taking a deep breath, then she stood from the bed and went to the door. Remembering to dry her eyes before unlocking the door and pulling the sleeves of her hoodie down.

Helena walked in the room as she got back to the bed, continuing dismantling the computer. The woman closed the door behind her, Bella didn't look up at her.

" It really hurt me what you said. "

Bella still didn't look up, trying to ignore the hurt tone.

" I understand that what you have been through a lot. " Continued Helena. " But there is a limit to our understanding. "

She placed the other part next to the others, in the straight line she was organizing.

" Bella, look at me. " She said. " Now. "

If it was someone else, she wouldn't. But Helena was one of the few people whom she cared if she hurt or not.

She looked up, seeing the woman's kind and hurt expression. That made her stomach twist, why couldn't Helena be mad? It would be a lot easier.

" I can't possibly begin to understand what you're feeling and what you went through. " Said Helena. " But you are part of this family. You are not my blood, but I do care for you deeply. Like I cared for your mother and your father. So I want you to apologize for what you said. "

Bella took a couple of seconds just breathing, trying to contain her emotions.

" I'm sorry. " She finally said, looking down. Not meaning the 'I have no family' thing, that was true, but to have hurt Helena and Tomas.

" Thank you. "

" You let Stark put up his high tech bars in this place. " She then said. Addressing something that had hurt her very much.

" These are not bars, Bella. " She said. " This is just to make you safer. " Bella snorted, Stark only wanted to keep her in check. " Yes, safer. He is your father, Bella. He is doing this because he cares for your safety. "

" Don't buy into his crap, Helena. You don't know that man. " Retorted Bella. " He only cares about himself. "

Helena looked surprised at the poison in her voice. Bella knew why, she always had that tone, but not to that level. As other things, it had gotten worse in her self-imposed 'exile'.

Bella got back to dismantling her computer after Helena was quiet for a moment longer than usual.

The woman sighed.

" Aren't you even going to say you're happy to see me? "

Damn, the guilt. She stopped working again, looking up.

" I missed you. " She said. It was true, leaving that house towards the unknown without anyone she ever knew, was one of the hardest thing she ever had to do.

Helena smiled. Why did she have to so nice and understanding? It made so hard to be mad! The woman walked over to her, leaning down and hugging her. Then kissing the top of her head before stepping back. The guilt increasing by how much Bella wanted to move away from Helena.

" I missed you too, pequeña. " She said. " Now let's go have diner. "

" I'm not really hungry. " Said Bella.

" Your doctor said you should eat and I have the diet he gave for you. " Said Helena. " You're sitting on that table and eating. Now up. " She insisted. " Up! Up! Up! "

" Not hungry, Helena. "

" Didn't ask that. " Said the woman. " Come on, you have to watch your health. "

" The doctor is a drama queen. " Said Bella. " I'm fine. "

" Bella Allan, you get off this bed and go down have dinner with us. I haven't seen you in three years, I was worried out of my mind every day, you are doing this! " Insisted Helena, in her 'Mommy' voice. " Or so help me God I will make a mess of these parts you have here. "

Bella had a messy mind, a lot of things coming and going all of the time. Not a silent or peaceful moment. Maybe that's why she liked her things organized, not necessarily clean, just in order, HER order. If she made a chaos out of them too, she would go insane.

Her hand went to the piece closest to her knee by instinct, making sure it was in place.

" I'm not hungry. "

" Just eat what you feel like you can take. " Said Helena.

She sighed, standing from the bed, she could finish checking her equipment after it. And after everyone fell asleep, she would check the new security system of the house.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The people on the house were sleeping, she silently left her room.

It was the second night she was there, she had already checked her equipment, and as she had expected, someone had gone through them, the tracker on her pocket was proof. After she woke up that day, she just walked around the house, seeing what was new, what had changed. She was not surprised to see cameras outside, one aimed at the front door and another at the back door, but managing to catch the entire house. No way someone would get in, or out, without them recording.

Now, she was going to see what was up with that alarm. As a resident of the house, she had her retina and fingerprint on the list of the authorized to activate or deactivate the alarm. But that system kept record of everything that happened. She couldn't just open the door and walk out.

She would definitely have to take a look inside the box next to the door. She took out the outside, revealing the wires and circuit boards.

Damn, this was good, too good. Someone who didn't know what they were doing was definitely going to get caught. Specially because this was sending data to another system. She had seen the computer here, it was still their ancient one, which meant that this alarm was connected to Stark's system.

She studied all the details of the alarm she could without actually disconnecting anything and giving herself away, but now she had a pretty good idea of how to get around this. She only had to be careful of the cameras, they had their own energy source and sent the images wirelessly, she guessed, to Stark.

She put everything back in place and went to her room. She had to check what she had of spare parts to be able to build a device that would trick the alarm.

She hadn't even checked if Stark had actual people around to keep an eye on her.

She would have a hard time getting away, but would eventually do it.

* * *

After the new base was done and the Avengers officially made it their new HQ, Tony was temporarily on vacation from action. He would still take care of all the things that didn't include actually fighting. So he wouldn't be there, he went back to Malibu.

Where Pepper was waiting for them to have a talk.

It had been a few months since they last saw each other, though they spoke on the phone. And despite she being supportive of his new situation as a father, them as a couple were in a... delicate situation.

She had moved back to her house and his own now felt empty with her not there.

The first thing he did when he walked in the house was to go straight to his room, to sleep. But as soon as his tired behind made contact with the mattress, FRIDAY had to come with bad news.

" Boss, the alarm of the Perez' house went off. " She said. " The security team went to check, Bella isn't there. But the tracker on her computer indicates that she would be. "

Five days. Five days and she already ran away. He leaned forward, taking a deep breath.

" Are they looking for her already? " He asked, she had found the tracker.

" Yes, Boss. "

" How did she manage to trick the alarm? " He asked, though he had a few guesses.

" I don't know. "

He rubbed his eyes. He couldn't sleep now.

" Alright, look for her in all the cameras you can find. Keep listening to police signal, see if they find a girl wondering around. Not just her town, the neighboring ones too. "

" Yes, Boss. "

He stood from the bed, going to his work space, just stopping by the kitchen to get an energy drink first.

" Alright, where are you? " He asked no one, as the screen lit up in front of him.

* * *

Bella had found a way around the alarm system and the cameras, and she had noticed Tomas looking at the house across the street when they went for a walk, the exercise a demand from her doctor, because she apparently 'needed' it. So there was most likely a team of guards in that house.

She felt guilt again as she stood in front of the window of Helena's office. They cared so much. She hoped they saw that she was the problem, not them.

If they didn't, she would send a message (after making sure that it wouldn't lead back to her) tell them that she was not doing it out of anger for them. But because she HAD to.

If she managed to stay away, she wasn't sure how well Stark was observing this prison he built around her.

She looked down at her left hand, now more than ever, she could never be normal. Ultron had created quite a mess and now she was going to try and fix it. She put on her glove, covering her red skin and pulling up her hoodie.

This was it.

She took out from her pocket the device she had built, placing it over the wire of the alarm, the magnetic field that generated tricking the alarm into thinking nothing was wrong. She took a deep breath and opened the window.

She waited a few moments, no sounds. No people waking up or running in the house. That window had a view of the backyard, so the security team on the house in front couldn't see her. The camera would already be playing a loop, and would be doing it for the next hour. Too long with a loop and it would be noticeable.

The device had a double-sided tape, but it was too thin to hold for long, so she put on a piece of duct tape over it. Put on the roll of tape on the pocket of her backpack and passed through the open window. Making sure to be as silent as possible.

She took another deep breath, looking behind at the inside of the house, then crossing the back yard and using an old lawn chair to get over the fence that separated them from the house on the other side.

The yard was empty, the people on the other house didn't have much use for it. She made her way cross the yard to the drive way, where a truck was parked.

She had to be fast, so she took out her tools and focused on what she had to do before moving forward and picking the lock, opening the door as the alarm started to ring. Jumping in, her hand going straight to pulling some wires. Picking the right one and separating it and cutting it. The alarm stopping after two seconds. She stopped, just listening, looking at the windows around. No lights lit up.

She got in and closed the door. Adjusting the seat, because it was just too far for her to reach the pedals, then hot wiring the truck, and driving away.

She drove away for one and a half hour, stopping at a gas station after she reached the interstate.

She got out of the car, shutting the door and starting to walk on the side of the road, away from the city.

She had checked the system of the cameras on that piece of the road and after half an hour walking, she reached an area with no camera surveillance.

Then signaled for a ride.

Forty minutes later, a truck stopped, she opening the door and climbing the step to look at the driver. Older man, in his fifties. Did not make her 'creep senses' go wild. Friendly face. Tired but still able to drive without falling asleep.

Score.

" Hey, kid. Where are you going to? " He asked.

" Where are you going to? " She asked in return.

" Chicago. "

" What a coincidence, me too. " She said, smiling.

" Yeah, I bet. " He said. " Come on, you can get in. I'll drive you. "

" Thanks. " She said, entering and closing the door. She kept the hood down, to be able to hide her face when the truck passed by areas with cameras.

" What's your name kid? " He asked, starting the truck again. " And put on the seat belt. "

She looked around at the enormous amount of Jesus images on the dashboard. Oh great, one of those.

She put on the seat belt.

" Name's Becky. Yours? "

" I'm Fred. " He said, going back into traffic.

" Is your wife named Welma? " She asked.

" No. " He said, not seeming to understand the reference. " So, what are you running form Becky? "

" Who says I'm running from something? "

" Anyone with a brain. "

" I'm just really eager to go to Chicago. "

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, clearly not believing. And she had the impression that she would listen to him try to 'help' or 'save' her a little more.

" How about some tunes? " She asked.

" I hope you like country. " He said, turning the radio on.

" Oh goody. " She said, with sarcasm.

* * *

She had tricked the system and looped the cameras. With scrap parts. Part of him was kind of proud, the other was pissed and worried beyond belief.

The truck she stole was abandoned in a gas station (before being stolen again) and after disappearing from the range of a camera on the road, she was gone. Most likely getting a ride with a complete stranger who could be a psycho.

From the time the camera was looped, she had a four-hour head start.

So far no hits on facial recognition. He had Maria call the cop responsible for her disappearance case to put out a BOLO to the west coast. He was taking no chances.

He felt like he had failed. He had done all that preparation to keep her safe with that family. Why? Why she had to run away? Why couldn't she just be safe?

" Boss, a call from Mr Vision. " Said FRIDAY.

" I'll take it. " He said, though he had the impression he knew what it was about.

" Hello, Mr Stark. "

" Hey, Vision. What's up? " He asked.

" Miss Hill told me that Bella ran away. " Said the android. " Is there anything I can help with? "

" If you have a plan to find her fast. " He answered. " I would really appreciate it. "

A moment of silence.

" Seriously, ideas? " He asked, it wasn't just making conversation, he wanted help.

" Outside of keeping an eye on the people she will target, no. "

" Thought so. " He said.

" I will continue to think about it. " Said Vision.

" Thanks. "

* * *

So many hours of country music. She was going insane. Then finally Fred had to use the bathroom and parked in a truck stop.

She stepped out too, going to the bathroom herself. It was filthy, but she had done a lot worse before. And she really needed to use it.

She had five dollars (she wasn't taking the Perez's money), so she decided to buy herself only a bottle of water. And using a five-finger discount in a couple of chocolate bars.

When she left the store, she saw Fred using the cellphone. His back was turned to her, so she approached.

" ... yes, sir. She looks about 14, maybe. Said her name is Becky. "

Damn. She turned around and left quickly, but quietly. She knew he had good intentions, but she didn't need that now.

That piece of road was too deserted to have any cameras, but just in case she would keep her head down. After she was far enough from the truck stop, she started running.

She was out of breath pretty soon after she started running, not a surprise. She had terrible stamina.

She stopped, taking deep breaths, hands on her knees. Feeling like she would throw up.

" People were not made for this kind of thing. " She said to herself between breaths.

She looked around there was nothing around. Just a few trees and grass.

No place to hide and it was high day by now. Asking for a ride again it was.

She was lucky, only half an hour and she got another ride. A man in his fifties in a sedan, who drove really fast. Good thing, she got of there faster, bad thing, he was totally getting them killed in a crash.

The only thing that stopped her from asking him to stop and getting out was the fact that they were definitely covering a lot of ground.

When the guy stopped for gas, she said thanks and continued on foot.

She was tired (hadn't slept a minute in the presence of the stranger reenacting Fast and Furious) but she forced herself to continue walking through the night.

The morning came and exhaustion was really well set in, specially with the cat in the sun. She forced herself to stand straight and continued walking, as she raised a hand, signaling to the cars that might pass by. Hopefully someone who wasn't a complete psycho on wheels.

The heat from the sun under the hoodie was not helping her progress. Good thing she bought that water and remembered to make them last more than a day.

Not that it helped a lot, she had to stop or she was going to pass out. She stopped under a tree, feeling like she was melting under those clothes.

She closed her eyes and didn't even know that she was falling asleep.

Until a voice woke her up.

" Hello Bella. "

She startled, opening her eyes and looking to the side to see Vision there.

" Oh great. " She said.

" It is nice seeing you. " He said. " I'm happy that you are all right. We were worried. "

" We? " She asked, struggling to stand up through the feeling of lead in her members, she having to use the tree as support.

" Me, Mr Stark, Miss Hill, Mr Perez and his family. " He said.

" How did you find me? " She asked.

" The call the truck driver, Mr Roberts, made diminished the area of search. Then the cameras caught a car speeding and a figure in the same clothes you were wearing in the passenger seat. We followed the path of tickets to this area. I flew over the road until I found you sleeping here. " He said.

She cursed herself for stopping, but she would not have been able to continue in that sun, she was still a little dizzy even after resting.

" You sound like a professor when you explain things. Has anyone ever tell you that? " She said, taking a chocolate bar from her pocket, opening and taking a bite.

" No. " He said. " You are shaking, maybe you should sit back down. "

" I'm fine, baldie. " She said, her mouth full. Turning and starting to walk away. Slowly because it was still a fucking million degrees there. He followed by her side, not even walking, floating. " Show off. " She muttered.

" I am here to take you back home. " He said.

" No, really? " She asked with sarcasm. " I thought you were here because you got lost on the way on the convention of Gem lovers. "

" We are considerably closer to the new Avenger's base. It will be best for me to take you there, where you can rest and then take a plane back home. " He said.

" Nope. Not coming back. " She said.

" I am confused, I took from your interactions and what I heard of Mr Perez, that you like him. Are you saying that you don't? " He asked.

" Oh, Jezzz, please don't say that you'll start asking about my feelings now. " She said.

" I didn't plan on lasting too long on the subject. " He said. " I just wanted to know if you ran away because their home is not suitable or because of your apparently hereditary stubbornness and lack willingness to listen to anyone. "

" You say 'hereditary' again and I'll post some very convincing photoshoped pictures online that star you and whatever else I can think of. " She said.

" Whatever? " He asked.

" I lived on the streets. I have heard and seen things that your mind can't dream off. After all you're not even a year old yet. " She said.

" And you are planning on destroying my 'innocence' with lies distributed on the Internet? " He asked. " My own 'big sister'? "

She stopped and looked at him, an eyebrow going up.

" You need to work on your sarcastic tone, but there is hope for you yet. " She said. " Now the next step, is forgetting you saw me. "

" I'm afraid I am still stuck in the first step. "

* * *

The Avengers (the ones still around and in 'active duty' at least) had moved to the new base. And used their time training, so they could get used to working together. Specially the new ones.

It could fall into some sort of rut. Vision, for example, didn't leave the base except for missions. Until, of course, the day Bella had run away and he helped Tony find her.

He had flown himself to where the girl was, coming back with her on his arms.

" Welcome to the new Avenger base. " Said Vision, after they landed on the roof.

" Hurray. " She said in a deadpan tone of voice. " Another fancy building for Stark to put on his list. Maybe this is the one that will get his head big enough to explode. "

Vision didn't know if it was the fact that he was only a few months old with an AI mind and not a 'real human', but he didn't mind that much her aggressive though impassive tone. It was like she was completely indifferent to your existence and hated you at the same time. Fascinating.

" This way. " He said, going to the door that led inside. He had found better to land on the roof so she didn't just turn around and left. This way she would actually have to get in the building. Once there, he could maybe get her to rest. And of course, Tony wanted to talk to her, was waiting to call.

She acted like she didn't give a damn about any of this building, but she kept an eye on everything around her.

" Not that I don't love a good tour, but can we get to the point of this? " She asked.

" We have been walking for less than two minutes. " He said.

" My time is precious. " She said.

" So why were you sleeping under a tree when I found you? " He asked.

" Sleeping is a very important step of my week. I plan on doing it at least three times every seven days. " She retorted. " And much more important to me than parading inside Stark ego's latest cry for help. "

" Bella. How are you doing? " Came Romanoff's voice as the woman walked out of one of the rooms on the hall they were in.

" Widow. " Greeted the girl. " I'm here against my will, but you know, kidnapping apparently is my normal. "

" Everyone has their hobbies. " Said the redheaded woman. " Gotta say, impressed at how fast you managed to trick Tony's systems. "

Bella scoffed.

" Please. That system could be tricked by a drugged baby. " She said, continuing walking.

Vision saw the smirk on Natasha's face.

" Tony is so gonna hear this. " Said the spy.

" RED! " Yelled Bella, down the hall. " We're losing daylight! "

" Still freaks me out how much like Tony she is. " Said Natasha.

" I just advice you not to say that near her. " He said, before following the girl down the hall.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Vision took her first to a kitchen. Apparently being gone one day was enough to get people worried about her diet.

She didn't want any food Stark bought her, the time she spent in that clinic had been bad enough. But Vision kept nagging her, so she decided to take a few things and walk around with it and pretend to consume them.

Then she saw they had coffee. She sure missed caffeine, stupid doctor diet had cut that off entirely. Okay, so she would drink coffee, but not eat anything. Use Stark's coffee to escape the diet the doctor he payed for gave, that was kind of okay, right?

" Are you sure you don't want to eat anything? " Asked Vision.

" No, I just say I don't but secretly wish to. " She said in a sarcastic tone of voice. " Now, can I get out of here? "

" Actually, we have one more stop here. " He said.

He led her to a meeting room with glass walls, a big table with chairs around it and a big screen in one of the walls.

When she entered, the screen lit up, Tony's face appearing. She immediately turned around to leave, but Vision closed the door.

" Great. Just as I was starting to like you. " She said to him.

" Bella. " Greeted Stark, with an even tone of voice.

She sighed angrily, then moving to the furthest end of the table from him, throwing her backpack on the chair nearest and fell on a chair herself. A coffee mug still on her hand.

" Five days. You lasted five days. " He said. " Do you know how worried we were? "

" WE? " She asked. " Don't you dare put yourself together with Tomas and Helena. " She retorted.

" I'm your father, I'll put myself together with everyone I feel like it. " He said.

" You're a sperm donor. " She said back.

" Same thing! " He said.

" In what universe? " She yelled back. " You know, you should go back to murdering, screwing people around and getting drunk. Because family and parenting is not your thing. And, I am going to be even more clear with it, I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE MY FAMILY! "

" YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE ON IT. " He yelled back. " So stop acting like a baby throwing a tantrum and suck it up! "

" You have no IDEA why I'm doing what I am doing! " She retorted. " My mission is all that matters. "

He took a deep breath.

" Damn, you can get under people's skin fast. " He said to himself, then rubbing his face with both hands. " We have been over this. There is no mission anymore. "

" There is no you telling me anything! I'll do what I'll do and you will stop acting like the whole freaking world should bow down to you, and just deal with it. "

" I am putting so many bodyguards on you that you'll have a hard time going to the bathroom alone! " He said. " I am doing this for your own good! You seem to take pleasure in doing exactly the opposite what you are supposed to. "

" The only one who can decide what I have to do is me! " She said, leaning forward and glaring at the man on the screen. " And I will run away from your stupid security systems and bodyguards as many times as necessary until you understand that you have no hold on me! "

She hit the cup hard on the table, spilling some of the hot liquid on the surface. She stood up.

" You may act like master of the universe and expect everyone to bend over for you, but I'm not marching to your phife. " She added, slamming her hands on the table. " Your money is not buying me! "

She was done with that talk, she didn't want to listen to Stark pretend to be a nice guy and 'care'. If he wanted a daughter who wouldn't be an 'embarrassment' to him, she was more than happy to never let it be known to be connected to the man. But she wasn't going to be living in whatever fishbowl he was planning to put her in.

" You know what? Fuck this shit. I'm out. " She kicked back the chair, it fell to the ground loudly. She grabbed her backpack and went to the door.

" Bella! " Called Tony, but she didn't listen. She just raised a finger.

* * *

Steve respected other's privacy, but a man was only a man and when he saw that Bella was in the meeting room, apparently having a yelling match with her father, who was calling from Malibu, he stood near the door, watching.

" It doesn't look good. " He said to Vision, who was waiting outside.

" It is not. " Said the android. " She is just as stubborn as he. "

Steve could hear yelling, from both sides. Tony wasn't the kind to yell, to have him doing that, he had to be really pissed.

Or, as Steve suspected, really scared. The billionaire wasn't one to flinch or doubt when the harm was aimed at him, but at others, his daughter, it was another thing.

" It must be karma. Tony having a kind who is exactly like him. "

Steve looked back, seeing Fury walk over to them. The super soldier had mixed feelings about the man. Sometimes he believed in him, but others, like when he learned that Fury knew about Bella's life for years, he thought that the man was more trouble than he was worth with his secrets.

" It could be. " Said Vision, answering the man's commentary.

Bella slammed the cup she had on the table, yelling something else, standing up, yelling some more then taking her backpack and leaving the room, giving Tony the middle finger as she did.

" Enjoying the show? " She said, looking at them with anger in her eyes. " On Earth that's called being a creep. "

" Miss Allan. " Greeted Fury, taking a few steps forward to the girl.

" Sorry, already donated to the Fund of Injured Pirate Parrots. " She retorted, with a sarcastic smile. " Try me next year. "

The man raised an eyebrow.

" My name is Nicholas Fury. " He said.

" Right, Super Fan's boss. " Said the girl. " Sorry, not giving away any autographs today. "

Steve was a little confused as to who was 'Super Fan', but decided that to someone Bella (and Stark) it didn't really matter that he knew or not.

" I'm sure she'll be heartbroken. " Said Fury in an even tone of voice. " But I am here to talk to you about something else. Like the reason you were running away in the first place. "

" Not into therapy. " She said, walking away from them. " How do I get out of this giant metal overcompensation? "

" I told you I would fly you home. " Said Vision, following her.

" You're like four months old? " She asked. " No way you're driving. "

" I am taller than you and can sit comfortably at the pilot seat. Not to mention an AI mind. " He said.

" Show off. " She retorted.

Steve and Fury remained on the hall as they walked away.

" At least they seem to get along. " Said Steve.

" You can trust JARVIS' mind to know how to handle a moody genius with poor social skills. " Said Fury.

" Maybe Tony should introduce her to Pepper then. " He said, looking at the now dark screen inside the meeting room.

He found himself feeling bad for his friend.

" I never asked you, but how could you do it? " He asked. " Just don't do anything, while you knew she was out there doing what she was doing? "

The man looked at him.

" I already had this conversation with Tony. Not having it with you. "

* * *

Bella knew that she was in for a hell of a long talk when she entered the house. First of all, the ride from the airport there had been quiet. Really quiet.

Then there was no one else there when Tomas, and she entered the house. It was night, so there should be.

" Don't go to your room yet. " He said, when she moved to the staircase. " Living room. "

There it was. She would have to listen to it sometime, better to do it now.

She went to the living room, sitting in the armchair closest to the door, her backpack near her feet. Tomas was going to sit on the couch, but thought better of it, standing near the coffee table.

He took a deep breath then looked in her eyes.

" What's so wrong with us? " He asked. " Why is it so horrible to be with us? When your parents wrote their will, they called me and Helena and I promised that I would take care of you if necessary. It became necessary and I won't break that promise, but I can't if you keep stopping me from doing it. Running away. How can we be a family if you... " He stopped, taking a deep breath.

" I had a family. They're gone. Were taken from me. " She said. " I don't have one anymore. Just doesn't fit me. What I do have, is my work. And I can't do that here. "

" What work? "

" It's better if you don't know. "

" What's that supposed to mean? " He asked.

" It means that you have a family, a life. And it would be best if you didn't know. " She said. " That is everything you're getting on that. "

" So, you're doing it again. "

" Yes. " She said. " It will be less painful to you, all of you, if you just... let me go. "

" No. " He said, shaking his head. " Bella, you have no idea what you're doing, you're acting out of hurt- "

" Don't tell me why I'm doing what I'm doing. " She said, taking a deep breath, controlling her emotions. He was hurt, but it was best emotionally hurt than dead. " I am doing what is best- "

" But not best for you. " He said. " Your actions are going to get you killed! Getting rides with complete strangers at night. Living on the streets. I've talked to your doctors. I know that you were on the route to ending up in the hospital, even without the injuries you got in Sokovia, you were not eating well, drinking so much caffeine that you should be called an addict, but not water. Sleeping poorly. Not to mention all the other millions of things that can kill you, hurt you, traumatize you out there! "

" I don't care. "

He stopped, looking at her with wide eyes.

" What? You don't care? Are- What? " He stopped, sitting on the coffee table, something that Helena never let anyone do because it was a glass top, but he didn't seem to be able to remember that now. " You. Don't. Care. "

He took a deep breath, rubbing his face with both hands.

" I can't do what you're asking of me. " He said. " I'm taking care of you. And apparently protecting you from yourself. "

" You can't. " She said. " Can't stop me. "

" I'm a marine. When I have a mission, I'll get it done, doing whatever needs to be done. " He said. " You try and stop me. "

" And I am a genius. With nothing more than time to dedicate to what I need to do. And the determination to do it. " She said.

* * *

Tony was working on the energy use of one of his main factories of electronic parts. His transition to green energy was still in course on his many, many buildings. The music blaring on the workspace did nothing to make him feel less lonely in the now empty house.

" Boss, you have a call from Tomas Perez. " Said FRIDAY.

" Turn down music. Pick it up. " He said, looking away from the screen.

" Mr Stark? "

" Tommy! How are things buddy? " Faking joy he didn't feel.

" Not sure. "

" She's still there? "

" Yes, the thing is, she said she will do it again. And I don't think I can stop her. " Said the marine man.

Tony wasn't surprised.

" Me saying something won't help. " He said. " It will actually make her run faster. "

" Look, we tried to take her to therapy once. It didn't work. The therapist cried, said for us never to show up again. It was a whole thing. " Said Tomas. " I was hoping you would find a ... tougher one? "

He tried to imagine the situation, it would have been comic if it wasn't worrisome.

" I'll try to find one. " Said Tony.

" I'll try to get her to go. " Said Tomas.

" Chances of that working? " Asked Tony.

" Little. " Said the man. " To almost none. But I'm not a genius, so I'll pretend that they are higher than they are. "

Tony smiled, nodding his head. He found that he liked the marine man, not just thought he was good enough to raise Bella, but he actually liked the man.

" I can do the math for you. " He said.

" Nah, I wouldn't understand it. Just keep it to yourself, if you don't mind I prefer my ignorant hope. "

" Right, so I'll let you know what I can find on the shrink front and you hope for the best. " He said.

" Okay. So, how are you doing? "

" I'm awesome. " He said, as always.

" Huh, right, good. " Said Tomas.

" Why does it sound like you don't believe me? "

" Because Bella says the same thing, all the time, some tone. " Said the man. " And somehow, I never believe her. "

" Well, we're not clones. " Said Tony. " Just related. "

" Could have fooled me. " Said Tomas.

" Gotta go, Tommy. " Said Tony. " Find a shrink with one hell of a thick skin. "

FRIDAY finished the call, and he had the impression that there was more to this call than Bella saying she would try again, but he would look into that later. A shrink to the kid was risky, a lot of what was wrong was of the illegal and highly dangerous nature. Who could be trusted with that? He only trusted the Avengers with such information, because they wouldn't tell anyone and were able to defend themselves better than others.

Better to make a list anyway. And to give another look at the security he had on her too.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Pepper had lost more than a few hours of sleep since she found out about Bella. Feeling betrayed by Tony, then realizing that at the time the girl was conceived, they weren't together. Remembering how he was, how he still could be, wondering if they still should be together. Feeling guilty for pulling away when something so huge happened to him, then remembering that she was completely in her right to do so. Feeling sorry for the girl, worrying over her safety, frustrated she seemed to hate her father so much. Wanting to punch Tony for just handing the girl over and not being with her. Wanting to ask if he was okay. Wanting to step away from this situation for good. Felling guilty for wanting to do so. Wanting to do something to help this situation.

So many hours of sleep.

She had a date with Tony on his house, just dinner, hanging together. Trying to get closer, as they were before.

FRIDAY let her in when she arrived, Tony was still in his workspace, so she climbed down the stairs, the music filling her ears as she opened the door.

" Pep! " Greeted the man, turning to her with that smile that was his trademark. " What is your position on spicy food today? I'm thinking Mexican for dinner. "

" Could be. " She said. " How are you doing? "

" Working. " He said.

" So as usual. " She said.

" Pretty much. " He said.

She walked over, looking at the screen in front of him.

" What's that? " She asked. " Blueprint of a house? "

" Checking the security system on Bella's house. " He said, and she had the impression he was trying to look care free when he wasn't. " I had it updated, but it was a rush job, so I'm working on it again. "

" She is 15, right? " She asked. " So how is she giving YOU a run for your money? "

He chuckled.

" Stark's genes. " He said. " And there's only so much I can do in Perez' house. "

" I know I'm not exactly an expert in kids. " She started cautiously. " But you know how much that looks like you're trapping her in her own house? "

" No other choice when she doesn't listen to reason because she just 'assumes' she's right about everything and everyone, just because she's smarter than everyone else. " He said.

She smiled, despite the subject.

" Will you imagine that? " She said. " Where did she got that from? "

" Probably her mother. " Said Tony. " So, ready for dinner? "

" Yeah, I'm starving. " She said.

Dinner ended up being Chinese food, followed by a movie, but Pepper could tell he wasn't truly into it.

" It's everything okay? " She asked.

" Always. " He answered, as he always did.

" Really? " She asked, getting a little frustrated at his usual masking of his real emotions. " Don't lie to me, Tony. I'm asking because I care and want to know. "

He took a sip of his drink, not looking away from the screen with the movie, then at her.

" Worried. " He said. " About Bella. "

" It's she okay? "

He huffed with fake amusement.

" I don't think she has been okay in years. " He said.

" She recovered okay, at least? " Asked Pepper.

" Well as okay as possible. Broken bones will never be the same again, specially that many. Her lungs will never be brand-new, she has to watch herself, not to get a cold or anything. " He answered.

" So young, so many times having her life threatened and almost dying. " Said Pepper. " Tony, I know is not my business, but are you sure about her living with the Perez family? I mean, she is your daughter. "

" She hates me Pepper. And I am not father material. "

" How do you know? You never tried. " She said, to the second part of his statement.

" She is better where she is. "

Pepper got frustrated at his stubbornness.

" If you say so. " She said. " It's just... there has to be something more. "

" More what? " Asked Tony.

" She was an orphan, Tony. No blood relatives. Now, she has a father. "

" She wasn't an orphan. She knew about me all along. She CHOSE to ignore me. " He said. " It's different. Can we... not talk about this? "

" Fine. What else has you been working on? "

" Other suit. " He said. " Improving it. "

She wasn't surprised. Iron Man was Tony's obsession. Couldn't live without it. He had promised to tone it down, but couldn't keep it.

* * *

 _The wind was cold and loud around her, the light of the sun doing nothing to keep her warm. She couldn't move, metal around her arms and legs._

 _The city kept going higher and higher. Screams of the people who were trapped there._

 _She wanted to scream, make Ultron stop all this, but her voice didn't come out._

 _" We will save this world. " Said Ultron. " Clean it. "_

 _Her mind screamed 'No! Stop this, no!', but her mouth didn't say the words. No matter how hard she tried._

 _She had to do something, why couldn't she do something?! Panic filled her, cold and pain followed it._

 _" Aren't you glad you helped me? " Asked Ultron._

 _She felt tears in her eyes, her mouth opened in a silent scream._

 _Then she fell._

Bella woke up startled, screaming. She looked around taking the dark room. She was in Tomas' place. She was in solid ground.

The door opened and a half dressed Tomas rushing in, looking around.

" Bella! " He called. " Are you okay? "

She took a moment getting her bearings, giving her heart a moment to slow down.

" Bella? " He asked again, getting closer to her bed.

" Fine. Always. " She said, as she always did. It was reflex.

" You were screaming. " He said, looking over her.

" What? " She asked.

" Were you having a nightmare? " He asked.

" I'm fine, Uncle Tom. " She said, not wanting to admit to the nightmare part. " You can go. "

" Kid, you're sweating cold and shaking, you're not fine. " Said the man, sitting on the edge of her bed and placing his hand on her forehead.

She moved away, she didn't deserve concern, not after what her inaction has caused in Sokovia.

" I'm fine. " She said, by instinct her hand went to her left arm, her ability to feel the touch making her anxious. More anxious.

" Want something to drink? Water, milk? " He asked.

" I'm fine. " She insisted.

He looked worried, but nodded and stood up.

" Okay. Sleep well. " He said. " You need anything, you just call me, okay? "

She nodded, laying back down. Tomas took a moment then left her room, not closing her door all the way.

She heard whispers on the hall, Roberta's and Tomas'. Great, more witnesses to her totally loosing control. She waited until the soft sounds of doors to stand up and get out of bed.

She softly closed the door to her room and went to the table on the corner where she had a few broken down parts of a few electronics she found on the neighbor's trash can, after he had cleaned his garage the day before.

She turned on the desk lamp and sat down. She could work out something useful from those old wires.

She tried to ignore how she was still shaking and her heart beating fast. She tried to block out the voice on her head too.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Bella sat on the porch of the house, looking at the street, bored out of her mind. Helena was at work and the 'Perezlings' were at school. So there was only her and Tomas in the house, the man still in the leave given to him when Bella was 'found'.

It had been awkward between the both of them ever since he woke up in the middle of the night because she was having a nightmare. Specially because she was definitely NOT talking about it.

She hated that he had listened to her. She always had nightmares, she just hated that she had screamed, and he had heard it.

She just couldn't be there for longer. Somewhere out in the world that very moment, someone was selling weapons to people that have no problems in using them. Profiting on their hate and fear. Fear that had tripled ever since the world had almost been destroyed by ULTRON.

She had guilt in the fear that they were feeling, she had to do something. She had to continued working.

But she needed a better plan.

She looked at the house across the street where the 'protection team' Stark was paying to guard her was. Maybe she should take a look at them.

She adjusted her hoodie, stood up and crossed the street, fully aware that they were watching her.

She knocked on the door and turned the nob, opening the door. It was open, momentarily surprising her, but she guessed that they wanted a quick way out if need be.

It wasn't decorated like a home, not a surprise. A lot of cables, going through the hall from one room to another, one of them where a man in a suit just came out of and looked at her with a surprised expression.

" Miss Allan? " He asked, adjusting his tie. " Is there something you need? "

" Sure thing Annie. " She said, the man had a hair so red that it hurt her eyes and curly too.

" It's Frank. "

" I'm just getting to know the neighbors. " She said, walking over to the room he had come out from. " Nice set up, Annie. "

" Frank. "

" And look there's a friend! " She continued ignoring him and entering the living room that had been converted into a security room with several screens, computers and a lot of take-out packages.

Score.

For the computers AND the junk food. And coffee too. Beautiful caffeine.

There was another guy there, same kind of suit, but shaved head, sitting in one of the chairs and eating chips from a giant bag. Amazing these guys were in shape considering their diet.

" How are you, Miss Allan? " Greeted the other guy. " I'm Don. "

" Don and Frank. " She said. " Two peas in a pod. A very well-equipped pod. "

" Miss Allan, is there something you need? " Asked Frank.

" Why do I get the impression I'm not wanted here? " She asked.

" Mr Stark has given us very specific orders. " Said Don, as she walked around and took a close look at the equipment. " He doesn't want you looking at the equipment- "

" Chicken. " She said. Guy couldn't handle a little healthy competition? Not that she wanted to engage in a competition with him more like she wished he ignored her completely. " So Mannie, you guys are the only ones here? No more buddies for me to meet? "

" There is two per shift, Miss Allan. " Said Don. " We have gone over this with Mr Perez, haven't he told you? "

" I prefer to do things myself. " She said, getting near the coffee machine in the corner and serving herself a cup full. Caffeine, how she missed it. " And if I had just asked him, I wouldn't have met you and Mannie. "

" Still Frank. "

" Thing is, since you're here against my will, I at least have the right to know about who are you and what you are doing. " She continued, taking a long gulp of the warm drink.

She turned back to the equipment. Her mind memorizing all she could see.

" We are here for your protection, Miss Allan. " Said Frank.

" Like the guards of a prison protect the inmates. " She said, looking at the computer behind Don. " You know if you're so worried about Stark's rules, should you be playing Mario on that horribly coded emulator? "

The man turned to the computer, exiting the game.

" Now your points won't be saved, shame, you were going well. " She said.

" Miss Allan, we will be happy to speak with you, but not in this room. " Said Frank.

" Too late, I'm bored. " She said, turning around and leaving the room. " Got everything I needed anyway. " She added lower.

* * *

 _" Mom? "_

 _" I'm in the kitchen, Bunny. " Answered the woman, using the nickname she and her husband had for their daughter ever since the girl was four. " Can you get the door? "_

 _She sighed, annoyed, but got up from her bed, making sure not to make a mess of the electronic parts on it and left her room, walking down the stairs. The doorbell rang again._

 _" Yeah, hold your horses, I'm coming. " She said._

 _She reached the door and opened it. She froze when she saw the two men in the military uniform._

 _" Miss Allan, is your mother home? " Asked one of them._

 _" No. " She said, snapping out of her shock. " No! "_

 _No, this wasn't happening. Not this, not to them._

 _She barely noticed the tears running down her face as she strode forward and pushed one of them back._

 _" No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! " She was screaming and crying, pushing and punching the men in front of her. She was so angry that she couldn't hear the words they were saying. She just wanted them to go away, because that had to be a cruel joke._

She woke up startled, her hand going to her neck as she felt the effects of sleeping hunched over her desk.

She realized what had woken her up when Tomas called for her, his voice getting closer to the door of her room.

" Bella, we're going to watch a movie. Time to stop working and relax a little. "

She looked over the parts on the table, it didn't look like anything at the moment, so it didn't matter if Tomas saw it.

He knocked on the door and opened it a little later.

" Come on, popcorn is getting cold. " He said.

" I'm good. " She said. " You can go and watch your romcom or whatever Roberta has bullied you into watching. I'm just gonna stay here. "

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

" Why is there a piece of a wire stuck on your cheek? " He asked, she raised her hand to it and finding the red wire and unstuck it from her face. " Did you fall asleep on your desk again? "

" It's how I learn. Osmosis while I nap. " She retorted. " But I am pretty tired, so... no movie. "

" Okay... " He said, looking unsure. " Good night. "

He left the room, closing the door behind him.

She looked back to her table, running her hands over her face. She had to continue working. Not like she hadn't pulled all-nighters before.

* * *

Bella pulled the hoodie over her head once more, trying to ignore the screaming of the excited crowd. Seriously, how many people came to watch a stupid little league baseball game anyway?

She sent another glare at Tomas, who had insisted that she just HAD to watch Edgar's game with 'the rest of the family'.

She gripped her backpack tighter, trying to make herself smaller so her leg wasn't touching Roberta's leg next to her. The older girl was texting on her phone, ignoring her and everything else. Edgar was on second base and paying attention to the game. Tomas and Helena were looking at the field, the ever supporting parents, calling their son's name and smiling at him.

Bella looked back, where Frank and Don, the babysitting duo were standing and keeping an eye on everything, failing miserably in looking inconspicuous.

She stood up and got out of the bleachers, Roberta barely noticing, she was too busy. Bela had sat on the end of the seat, so there was no one else to disturb.

The two bodyguards were the only ones to notice, of course, but she just rolled her eyes at them as they followed her and moved to the bathrooms that were located near the parking spaces.

On the way she casually took the device she had built out of her pocket and stuck it to a one of the flag poles that were on the way. It was small and the tape on it wouldn't last long, but it would last enough for what she needed.

She entered the bathroom, pretending to wash her hands until the woman who was there left. Then she locked the door and moved to the stall that allowed her to reach the small window. She placed the lid of the toiled down and sat down, opening her backpack. She took the baseball cap and the green hoodie from inside. She took out the black one she was wearing put on the new articles of clothing. Then she took out the money she had organized in rolls and divided them in her pants pockets.

Then she took out the control of the device she stuck to the pole and the important parts from her equipment that she had taken apart from the things she could get more easily.

She put all but the control on a pillow case and hid it all inside her clothes. The control she kept it on her hand.

She dropped the backpack on the floor and stood on top of the toilet.

That was it.

She hoped the note on the backpack was enough to let the Perez's know that she meant them no harm. Family just wasn't something she was supposed to have anymore. Didn't deserve anymore.

Now, for the excruciatingly embarrassing three attempts of climbing the window before she actually made it, falling on her ass on the grass outside.

She stood up and looked around, no bodyguards, who were probably still in the front.

But there was a truck with a guy unloading boxes of snacks for the pizza/snack bar next door.

" Hey. " She called, getting close, the man giving her an odd look. " Can you help me out man? "

" You want to climb back in the bathroom? " He asked, placing the last box on the floor, the employee of the pizza place coming and giving him a nod and leaving with it.

" No man, I need a ride. "

" Yeah? " He asked, an eyebrow raised in suspicion.

" Thing is, my ex just got here and I CANNOT face him. " She said. " Like it was... he cheated on me, can you believe it? "

" Huh. " Said the man, looking at her with an uncomfortable expression. " So, what does this have to do with a ride? "

" I can't be here! " She said, remembering the tone of the teenagers she studied with, when she was a kid. " He's all happy and I'm a mess. "

The man rolled his eyes, sighing.

" Come on man! I can pay, if you want. "

" No, that's fine. Get in. " He said. " I can give a ride, as long as is not too far. "

" No, man. " She said. " I'm meeting a friend on a market near here. Super close. "

" Teenagers. " Said the man, shaking his head as she got in the passenger seat and lowering her head so that no one would see her.

" What are you doing? "

" He can't see me! " She said, thinking of what would be a normal response a teenager would give. " My hair is a mess. "

" I can barely see your face. " Said the man, turning on the truck and started to drive.

" He might! " She said.

Any moment now someone would notice the door of the bathroom was locked. She had to get away. When the truck got on the road and the area of the game far enough away, she pressed the button of the control on her pocket. That moment the device on the pole, a signal jammer, would turn on and use the metal of the pole to increase its reach. No phone service and no internet.

" So, single girl. What's your name? " Asked the man.

" Annie. " She said, the first name that came to mind.

" I'm Josh. " He said. " Where can I drop you off? "

She sat up straighter.

" Manny's market. Know where it is? "

" The place with the red flower on the sign? " He asked.

" The same. "

" You're gonna drown your sorrows in slushies? " Asked Josh.

" All the slushies man. " She said, at least this guy was funny.

After Josh dropped her off and drove away, she didn't go inside, she walked over to the ATM on the corner and did what she did to make it spit all the money in it and not record her on the process. She put it all on her front pocket.

Then she started walking towards a mechanic shop three streets away. It was known that people went there to get high.

People desperate for cash.

She saw one jittery guy be pushed out of the shop and enter a car, looking agitated.

She approached, entering the car and sitting on the passenger side as he got in on the other side.

" Who the fuck are you? " Asked the man. " Get out! "

" I need a ride. And you need money. " She said. " Drive me and I give you a way to buy as many fixes as you want. "

The man gripped the steering wheel. She really hoped she was betting on the right horse here, he could be the type to drive her or the type to murder her. But she really wasn't getting that vibe from him.

Or that was hopeful thinking.

" Yeah right. " He said.

She took out one 50 dollar bill from her pocket, making sure the other bills didn't get visible when she did.

" This is just the beginning. " She said. " An associate of mine will pay you 20 times this when we get where I need to get. "

The man looked at the money as a starving man looks at a plate of food.

" It's now or never man, what will it be? " She asked.

He reached for the money, but she moved it away. He bit his lip with his yellowed teeth.

" Fine! " He finally said, she gave him the money, and he started the car. " Man, I thought I would have to sell my car. "

She got down on the seat, hiding from view. The car was filthy, the man was probably living there.

" Where to? "

" Des Moines. " She said.

" Des Moines! " He exclaimed. " That's half the country away! "

" See you payed attention in geography. " She said with a sarcastic tone. " Remember the price, buddy. "

He must have needed a fix bad, because the man agreed.

* * *

" She ran AGAIN? " He asked on the phone, his voice raising. " How hard can be to keep one girl in place?! "

The man on the phone stuttered an apology with an attempt of an explanation.

" Just... stop talking. " Said Tony. " Why did it take you so long to tell me? "

The answer would have been amazing if it wasn't his daughter being talked about.

" A signal jammer? "

The rest of the call didn't give me much else, when he hanged up he rubbed his eyes, feeling a headache forming.

" Why me? " He asked. " Alright, FRIDAY. Same thing as before, let's find her. "

" Yes, Boss. " Answered his AI.

" And cancel my dinner with Pepper, okay? " He asked.

" Yes, Boss. "

He stood from his chair, moving away from the papers he was signing.

" Dummy, I need more coffee! "


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

She watched every move her drug addict driver made. While not trying to look as if she was doing so. She made sure that no bulk in her clothes resembled money and that her hoodie and cap were covering her face at all times.

He was jittery and driving fast, she had to remind him not to go too fast many times, she didn't want to be pulled over by the police. The mention of law enforcement helped convince him to keep himself in check.

When they stopped to get gas, she bought energy drinks and junk food. Using it to keep herself awake. No way she was going to sleep in that car with a man on the verge of loosing all control and doing everything necessary to get himself a fix.

He tried many times to get details on the friend, that she said had the money. She didn't give him anything else, just told him to wait until they got there, and he would receive his money.

She had to admit, she had done some risky things in her life, but that travel was pretty high amongst them.

Day turned to night, and they kept going, he too used caffeine to keep himself awake. Night turned to day again and her body was aching from being on edge so long and in the same position, but she was almost there.

" Girl, who is this guy with the cash? What's his name? How much does he have? " Asked the man, again.

They had entered the city, and he was at the edge of his patience. And of the time he could go without his drugs.

" His name is Jackson. " She said. And it was true, more than a few Jaksons were involved in the situation, along with a few other names. " Just keep driving straight, I'll guide you there. "

She knew a little of the city because she had been there already. She knew where there were fewer cameras and where the shady business happened.

She had him stop in a street that had a large homeless population. A lot of witnesses.

" So where is he? " Asked the man, shaking from how anxious he was.

" Right here. " She said, taking a lot of bills from her hoodie pocket.

" You had it!? " He asked, raising his voice but eagerly taking the money and shoving on his many pockets. " You little- "

" Bye! Thanks for the ride. " She said fast, opening the door of the car and running out.

She adjusted her hoodie and crossed the street, making sure the pillow case with the parts was safe on the inside of the clothes.

" Don't follow me. Don't follow me. Don't follow me. Don't follow me " She repeated to herself, feeling the pain in her limbs from moving after too long, but she ignored it.

She looked behind as she was two blocks away, not seeing the man or his car. She breathed in relief.

" That was a close one, Bella. " She said to herself. " Let's never do that again. "

She could very well start working there, build herself a new computer, but she wasn't underestimating Stark's resources again. She needed to find another vehicle to leave that city.

Chicago. Chicago was a good city.

She wanted to believe that it was just a random city, but honestly... she just wanted to be somewhere she knew there were people who wouldn't rat on her for a few bucks. On the streets, it wasn't everyday you met people like that, when you did, you remembered them.

She felt her eyes heavy and her body ache even more. No way she was going to make it that day. She needed to sleep. Then she would be able to get a ride.

She just had to stop on a used article store or something and buy a blanket, or she wouldn't make it through the night.

* * *

Tony hadn't slept since he learned Bella had run away again. Thing was, she was being a lot better at it this time.

The police was looking for her, Tomas was out of his mind. NCIS was also looking for her (because she was technically dependentt on a Marine). Not mentioning the Avengers and Tony himself. So manyresources, andd she didn't show up anywhere.

Sometimes he wondered what he had done to deserve a daughter who was too smart and too stubborn for her own good.

A whole day after she disappeared, the amber alert had a response. A man claimed to have given her a ride to a market about half an hour away from the park she had disappeared from. Saying that she had convinced him to give her a ride with a ridiculous story about avoiding some ex-boyfriend.

The story wasn't important, the important thing was, they had a place to start.

There were no cameras on the front of the market, and she didn't enter. But officers were talking to people on the street, someone had to have seen her.

" She was seen entering an old red sedan. " Said Hill, through the phone. " We are trying to track it through the cameras. "

" Whose car is it? " He asked.

" That is the problem. "

" Another one? "

" A drug addict, who had just been denied his latest fix because he had no money. We also know that the ATM next to the market was hacked into and spitted out all its money, no camera footage. " Said Hill.

He felt something in his stomach, an acute pain that made him feel nauseated. He was actually having physical symptoms of worry. What had his life come to?

A drug addict in need of a fix? Was this kid suicidal?

" Thanks Maria. " He said. He was still a little pissed at her for not telling him about Bella the minute she found out she was his daughter, but they were slowly getting back to their normal.

He turned off the call, thinking.

If he was Bella, he would go as far away as possible. That car would eventually show up on a camera from a road.

" FRIDAY, leave my suit ready, I'm flying out the minute we have a location. "

" Yes, Boss. "

* * *

She didn't manage to find an abandoned building that was actually empty to use, which would be her first choice. She would have to make due with some barely protected corner in the street.

She found a spot behind a paper recycling bin on the outside of an office building. To be between it and the wall would give her at least some protection from the cold of the night. She took some card boards and placed them beneath and on top of her, along with a blanket she bought and a larger hoodie she hoped it would be enough. The time was very cold.

The cold weather made her bones ache, a side effect from having them broken in Sokovia. So she took a couple of pills for the pain. The effect making her even more sleepy, and she managed to practically pass out from exhaustion.

A good thing, she didn't dream that night.

She woke up cold and sore. She definitely preferred when she had walls around her, but she was lucky to pass through the night without any surprises, that was always a nice thing.

She took her things and threw the card boards back on the trash.

Now, she needed a ride. A bus ticket was too high profile and could be traced. Getting in some vehicle unseen was going to depend on luck, but it was always preferable to getting rides. Drivers were always a gamble.

She took out a half-eaten chocolate bar from her pocket, she had saved it from the day before and ate it as she walked around, thinking and looking for a chance to get a vehicle.

She had been walking for four hours already, when she saw her chance.

A trailer in a gas station. Not new, but not falling apart. And the best part, a Jesus sticker. Jesus stickers increased the chance of people that were all up for 'helping others'.

So if the driver found her hiding in the back, chances were, she wasn't going to be kicked out.

She was ready to pick the lock of the door, but luckily enough, it was open. So she walked in the surprisingly clean trailer and hid in the tiny bedroom that was in the back. Space was small there, but she wasn't a big person, so she managed.

Sounds of footsteps came and the sound of the motor starting. Then the whole thing moving.

She waited a little and moved her head a little to see the driver through the doorway. Old dude, looked like Santa without the beard. He didn't seem to notice her as he drove, she moved back and laid down on the floor, using her backpack as a pillow.

The guy turned on the radio, music from old movies sounding.

 _" Can't we listen to anything else? " Asked George, standing next to his wife on the kitchen, helping her make breakfast._

 _" You know very well that these are my first love. " Said her mother, smiling. " First love it's for life, you know. "_

 _The man laughed, he preferred other kinds of song, but he always seemed to suck it up and listen to these 'oldies' just because Emma loved it._

 _" What do you think, Bunny? " He turned to his daughter. " Do you want to change the radio station? Something more modern? Classic rock to dance to? "_

 _The girl looked up from her orange juice, still sleepy._

 _" Nah. "_

 _" Defeated, again. " Said the man, faking a defeated tone, but still smiling._

She shook her head, clearing her mind from the memories of happier times, times where everything seemed to be lit in golden warm light. Amazing how the good times hurt just as much as the bad ones. Sometimes even more.

Time passed and eventually, the rhythm of the vehicle lulled her to sleep.

* * *

The second he heard that they had a lead on Bella, Tony put on his suit and flew to Des Moines. Maybe in a little too much of a hurry, but the pain on his stomach from worrying and the anger he was feeling made him a little more impulsive than he usually was.

To say the cops were surprised to see him there was an understatement. He had to dodge dozens of requests for selfies (from officers and civilians) on his way to talk to the captain of that precinct, his suit that collapsed into a briefcase on his hand.

" Mr Stark. A pleasure meeting you. " Greeted him the woman, who looked to be in her late forties.

" Captain Daniels. " He greeted back. " You know why I'm here. "

He didn't want to waste time, a woman who worked in the police would definitely be used to it.

" He's in holding. " She said, leaving her office, and he following by her side. " What do you know already? "

" That his name is Alec Goodfield. " He said. " He's an addict to everything that will give him a buzz. And he gave a ride to an underage girl. "

" One hell of a ride. " Said the captain. " Guy claims he was in California, and she payed him to drive her here. "

" How was he arrested? "

" One officer found him parked in a no-parking zone. " Said Daniels. " He was visually under the influence of something. Did a search, found a lot of money and heroin on him. When we ran his plates, we found that someone had already put a BOLO out on him. "

" Did he say anything? " He asked as they reached an observation room that looked in an interrogation room.

" A lot of things, between his ramblings he mentioned that if we were looking for the girl, he could give us something in exchange for a deal. " Said the woman, then turning to an officer passing by the hall. " Bring Mr Goodfield to the interrogation room please? "

" Do you have any leads as to where Bella is? " He asked.

" We got the information and put out an Amber alert on Miss Allan. " She said. " So far nothing. She had money on her, so we looked on motels- "

" She won't be in one. Should look on the streets. " He said, interrupting the woman. " Will be blending in with the homeless population. Maybe she even moved on already. "

The woman nodded, as if remembering the information, but she got a curious look.

" Why are you looking for her, Mr Stark? " She asked. " One missing girl is hardly a problem big enough for an Avenger. "

" This girl is, Captain Daniels. " He said.

" Why? "

" Nothing dangerous, your officers won't be in danger if they find her. "

That seemed to placate only half of the woman's curiosity. She had brown eyes that were very expressive.

" I'm sorry, but that doesn't answer my question. " Said the woman.

" I know her family. " He said.

" Oh. " Said the woman, finally finding an explanation to what was apparently bothering her. " You can tell them that, with this many eyes looking for her, she'll probably be found in no time. "

He sure hoped so. He was going to give Bella a piece of his mind.

The door of the interrogation room opened and an officer brought in a too skinny man with dirty clothes, sunk in eyes, stained teeth and dirty nails. The man was the picture of an unstable addict looking for a score. Who would do anything for a score.

And Bella got in his car? Stayed there for hours and hours? He could have done anything to her and no one would be able to stop him.

That was more than being impulsive. That was a death wish.

" I want to talk to him. "

" Mr Stark, that's not protocol. " Said Captain Daniels.

" It's not like he's going to hurt me. " He said.

She seemed to be thinking.

" Five minutes. " Said the woman.

" Thanks. " He said, leaving the observation room and entering the interrogation room.

The man smelled as he looked, as probably his car looked and smelled. He looked at him with a vacant expression that told him he wasn't completely sober yet.

" Are you my la-lawyer? " He asked.

" Anyone willing to represent you wouldn't wear a shirt that costs this much. " He said, sitting on the chair opposite to the man. " I'm here to ask you a few questions about the girl you were payed to bring here. "

" It's my deal done? " Asked the man. " Hey, don't I know you? "

" I see all your buddies are not working upstairs. " Said Tony. " Look Alec, you're not getting any deal. This is what is going to happen, you tell me everything you know of the girl or you're going to jail and you're never coming out. "

" Hey man! Are threatening me? " Said the man leaning back.

" Genius. " Said Tony. " You were driving under the influence, you had an amazing amount of heroin and stolen money on you. You drove an underage girl across state lines, that's kidnapping. "

" Kidnapping? " Asked the man. " She asked me to drive her, it's her money! "

" Not what is going to look like in court. " He said. " I guess is not going to take much to convince the jury you're a drugged pervert. "

" NO! I'm not! "

Nothing like a threat of jail time as a kid pervert to sober someone up.

" So, spill. "

The man tried to run a hand over his face, but couldn't because of the handcuffs.

" Look man, I- "

" Come on! " Exclaimed Tony loudly, hitting the table and startling the man. " Talking is not that hard a task! "

" Okay! " Exclaimed the man back, leaning back. " The girl just got in my car! All smart ass and shit. Said I could make a lot of money if I drove her. Bitch even said the money was here, with some guy named Jackson. Had it with her all the time. " The man shook his head. " Could have taken it before spending a whole freaking day on the road. "

" Yes, keep giving me reasons to hate you. " Said Tony, reminding himself that murdering that man would lead him nowhere. " Did she say anything? "

" 'Just to keep driving'. A billion times. " He said. " Also that she liked my music. " He leaned forward. " But I think she was lying. Little sarcastic bitch. "

" Good guess. Did she say anything else? "

" No. "

" Anything about where she would go next? "

" The Jackson guy might know. " Said the drugged man.

Tony wasn't very reassured of what he was telling him, if the guy couldn't even figure out where the name Jackson had come from, he wasn't the brightest guy in the world.

" Anything at all, that might be useful? " Asked Tony. " Something she said, she did, that she was carrying? "

The man thought about it.

" Girl always had her hoodie up. Didn't want people to see her, sometimes, she even hid on the space under the panel, you know, in front of the seat? " Said the man, Tony nodded only because if he opened his mouth he was going to insult the man and never stop. " Is running from something. That amount of money... is the cops. And... and... " The man was clearly struggling to remember something, he really didn't want to go to prison marked as a pervert who liked kids. " And she knew this town. She told me where to go without looking at a map or anything. "

The man passed another minute trying to remember something else, but couldn't.

" Okay, you have nothing else. " Said Tony, standing up. " Don't worry, you'll go to prison, but not as a pervert. "

He left the room, ignoring the man calling him.

She had been in this town before, or she researched a map before running away. Most likely the first option, areas where there were homeless people weren't something one could find easy online. It was mouth-to-mouth info.

He would look there, but he had the impression Bella was long gone.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

She dreamed of home. Warm hugs and laughter. Hot cocoa and french fries with cheese. Movie nights and tree house nights.

She didn't want to wake up, she wanted to be there forever. Too bad she couldn't.

She startled awake when she felt a hand on her.

" Don't touch me! " She exclaimed, confused, moving back and trying to hit the person touching her arm, or better, just moving her arms like an insane person in the direction where she thought the person was.

Sight came back to her as she moved back, her back pressing against the wall behind her. She was in the trailer.

Santa look-a-like starring at her, kneeling a little away from her, leaning back and looking at her with a curious and worried expression.

" Crap. " She said.

" I... needed a ride. " She said, sitting up and keeping a distance between herself and the man, who distanced himself and sat down on the only other available space on the small room. " I didn't take anything. "

" Not much to take. " Said the man, looking calm. She was right when she saw the trailer, chill dude with good intentions. At least so far he looked like it, he didn't set up her 'creep sense'. " Unless you like old clothes and underwear. "

" My Achilles heel. " She said, an apologetic smile, pretending not to be bothered that he was between her and the only exit. " You got me. "

The man smiled and nodded.

" So, what's your name kid? "

" Becky. " She said, it was her go to fake name. " You? Let me guess... Nick. "

" No. " He said, offering her his hand for her to shake, but without getting closer. Smart guy, respected her personal space. " Name's George. "

Why did he have to be called George? Specially right after she had all those dreams about her family?

" Not really a hand shaker. " She said, just giving him a wave, happy she had a glove over her artificial arm. " Nothing personal G. It's a medical thing, you know? I get angry and bite. You might need stitches later... Whole thing. "

The man smiled, nodding and getting his hand back to land over his knee.

" Okay, Becky who doesn't handshake. Why are you in here? I'm sure that there are buses to where you want to go. " He said.

" I don't like the fabric of their seats, smell funny. " She said, shrugging.

" That's not much of an answer, kid. And... you are in my trailer, without my authorization. " Said the man. " I had just parked for a rest, can't drive so long without my knees bothering me. How about I call the police, and we solve this with them? "

" No need. " She said, sitting straighter. " Look, I'm not a criminal or anything. I just need a ride. "

" And you just thought I would be going to where you're going? "

" I'm going anywhere. " She said. " Just not where I was. "

" Does your family know where you are? " Asked the old man, seeming to already know the answer.

She thought of her mother and father. She thought about Tomas, who struggled to keep his promise to his friend and couldn't see that she was never going to fit in. She was only going to destroy what he had.

" I don't have a family. "

The man looked uncomfortable after she said that.

" Sorry. " He said. " Running from foster care? "

" Something like it. "

The man sighed, then rubbing his back.

" Gotta stand up, my back is killing me. " He said, doing so with a pained grunt. She stood up too. " I'm going to eat something at the restaurant, do you want something? "

She looked towards the small window, it was dark, but she could see a sign with a chicken and a waffle.

It didn't look like the type of place that would have a digital surveillance system.

" Sure. " She said, she was a little hungry, was going to enjoy a free meal, and also get the rest on a to go bag, make sure she had food for the next days.

" Okay, follow me Becky. This place has very good chicken. The waffles... could be better. "

" Food is food, Nick. " She said.

" George. " He said, leaving the tiny room, and she followed him out of the trailer, she pulled her hoodie up, blocking her face and swinging her backpack over her shoulders. Rule of living on the streets, never leave your stuff behind.

" Sure thing, Graham. "

He sighed, but didn't say anything.

The restaurant had a few customers and one waitress, probably only a few people on the kitchen.

There was low music coming from somewhere, Beatles. At least they had good taste in music.

They took a seat on a booth, sitting across from each other.

" How about a milkshake? " He asked. " My favorite is chocolate. "

" Good for you. Solid flavor. Really nice. Traditional, but not bland like vanilla. "

The old man laughed a little.

" You know what Becky? You look like a piece of work. " He said, as the waitress approached.

" You have no idea, Greg. " She said, leaning back.

" Hey, welcome Duffy's chicken and waffles. " Said the woman, her tone tired as it was probably the millionth time that day she had to say that. " What can I get you? "

" I want the special and a chocolate milkshake. " He said. " One special for the girl too. What flavor milkshake you want? "

" Coffee. " She said. " And can you replace the milk and the shake for coffee and more coffee? Extra caffeinated. Thanks. "

" All right. " Said the woman, giving her a look, but guessing that it would be easier just to give the girl the coffee and save her the energy of questioning the fact that a girl was drinking it. " Be ready in a jiffy. "

" You shouldn't drink coffee. Too young for that. " Said George. " Gonna stop your growth. "

" That's a myth. And everyone is addiced to caffeine these days. " She said, leaning back on the seat. " So, Graham, what is it you do? "

He seemed to have given up on making her call him his real name.

" I am retired. " He said. " So I travel the country in my trailer. But when I used to work, I was a history teacher in a middle school. Forty years. "

" Forty years of snot nosed annoying little creatures. Couldn't have been easy. " She said, keeping any talk away from her.

The man laughed.

" It wasn't like that. I actually was very well liked by my students. Did my best and it felt like they noticed. " Said the old man. " Helping them grow. "

" A teacher who actually loves his job. " She said.

" Not many people become teachers without love for the craft. " He said. " It's not that much of a payday to be worth it. "

She nodded, taking some salt and sugar packets from the table and shoving them in her pocket.

" And now you are in your own grand American tour? " She asked.

" Seeing all the historical sights and tourist points I can. " Said the man. " Read about them all my life, now it's time to experience it. Been to Grand Canyon three times. "

" Three times? What's there to see that demands seconds? It's a hole filled with rocks. " She said, taking a few individually wrapped straws and shoving them in her pocket too.

" Have you ever been there? "

" Can't say that I have. " She said.

" It's an experience like no other. " Said George. " It is a true testimony to God's grand work. "

" A hole? " She asked. " So what? The neighbors dog digging on my yard is a sneak peak of the main event? "

The man raised an eyebrow and smiled in amusement.

" So, Becky, what do you think of when you think of the divine? " He asked.

" Here's your coffee. " Said the waitress, approaching that moment and placing a mug in front of her. " Your meals should be ready really quick. Your milkshake too. "

George thanked the lady as Bella took a deep breath, taking the smell of the drink.

" Now this... is divine. " She said, taking a sip of the drink. " But it needs sugar. "

" You can use the dozen packets you have in your pocket. " Said the man.

" No, that's for later. " She said.

" You are stealing sugar? "

" How can it be stealing if it's free? Impossible. " She said, taking the remaining sugar packets, opening them and pouring the contents in her mug. " Ask any legal person. "

" I see the logic. " Said George. " Well, I was never one to drink coffee, only when I couldn't be without it. But if you say it's divine... Who am I to deny it? "

She finished stirring the contents and took a gulp of the warm liquid. Feeling good now that she could feel the caffeine inside her.

" Becky, do you mind if I ask you a personal question? "

" No, you can't have my sugar packets. " She said.

" I'm heart broken. " Said the man, his sarcastic tone wasn't very good, but he looked to have done his best. " Why did you enter my trailer? Why didn't you take a bus? Or even asked for a ride? I would have been happy to do it. "

She busied herself with her mug taking a time to figure out what was her best story.

" Didn't want to risk it. " She said. " I didn't plan to fall asleep. Thought I could slip out without being seen. "

The man nodded, but didn't say anything as his milkshake arrived, along with their food.

Bella wasn't one to eat a lot, even the stupid diet her doctors insisted on, didn't change that. So the amount of food was too much for her. Great, there was two guaranteed meals in her future, at least.

She focused on the chicken, which was most likely to go bad first. It was the first time she ate something this greasy since those neurotic doctors gotten a hold of her blood work.

Sweet greasy food. It was surprising that she had always been on the edge of underweight, given her love for crappy food.

" I'm going to St Louis. " Said George, swallowing what he was chewing. " I can give you a ride there and drop you off in a police station or a shelter. This way I'll know that you will be taken care off. You don't need to be with the foster family you were with, but won't be alone."

She fought the impulse to correct him about where she used to be being bad. It was a nice place, with a nice couple. The exact reason why she ran away. To spare them of complications and dangers of her own life.

" I just need a ride, G. "

" And I need peace of mind. What kind of man would I be if I let you just go? To where there could be danger? "

She had faced such situations before, managed to get out without cops on her ass.

She sighed.

" Fine, Graham. " She said. " Just drop me off in a police station. "

* * *

Tomas was working on the garden, he did that when he was nervous. Drove his wife crazy because he had an act for making a mess and killing her beloved flowers.

He shoved the gardening shovel on the dirt, digging out the tulip from its place.

" Dad, Mom wants to know if you're done with your plant genocide. " Came Edgar's voice, making him look back and put down the tool on his hand. " She said lunch is ready. "

" I'll be right there, kiddo. " He said. " Hey, are you okay? "

His son shrugged, not seeming to know the answer.

" I'm sorry that your game got interrupted. " He said.

" I practiced. " Said Edgar, looking sad.

" It showed, you were great out there. " Said Tomas, standing up and walking towards him.

" Ro said that Bella did it on purpose. " Said the kid.

" She didn't. "

" How do you know? "

Tomas sighed.

" Do you think she did? "

Edgar shrugged. He didn't seem to totally believe his sister, but as always when it came to Bella, he did what Roberta did.

Tomas didn't show his kids the letter Bella left for him. He and Helena believed that it would do no good and, when she came back, the girl was very private.

" Look, kiddo, you know that Bella is a very confused girl. She doesn't mean to hurt people, she is just a little lost.

" She's smart. Like genius. " Said Edgar.

" For somethings, yes she is. But you know how it was that time we went to the carnival? " Asked the man, kneeling to be able to look his son in the eyes.

" She couldn't breathe. " Said his son.

" She had a panic attack. " Said Tomas. " Because there were too many people around. Doesn't matter that she knows math and science and how the toys worked. And how computers do what they do. She's still a kid who has gone through a lot. "

Edgar nodded, seeming to understand what he was saying.

" You're going to be sad again? Like last time? " Asked his son.

" I'm not gonna change with you guys. But yes, I am sad, because I'm worried. "

" I'm sure she's fine. " Said Edgar.

" Thanks kiddo. " Said Tomas, smiling at his son and giving him a kiss on the head.

His son turned around and went inside, Tomas stood up but didn't walk in, just looked up at the window that was from Bella's room.

 _Tomas and Helena were still on the park, Roberta had taken her brother back home in their car, the couple would take a cab later._

 _" Mr Perez. " Approached one of the body guards. " We found this letter for you in her backpack. "_

 _He took the envelope, only his name written on it. He didn't even wait a second before tearing the thing open and taking out the folded papers._

 _'Tomas._

 _I know you're probably really angry at me right now, and you don't want any explanations. But I'm giving you one this time. I hope you realize that this is for the best. So you can spare yourself and your family the hurt._

 _I know you loved my father and you would never want to break your promise to him. So I am releasing you from it._

 _I'm not good with very emotional talks or describing feelings. So you'll have to forgive the lack of my usual brilliant eloquence on the subject._

 _I haven't been right for a long time, since dad. But after mom, if I ever could be fixed, after her death, that path didn't exist anymore. I'm forever changed and the girl from before doesn't exist._

 _I will never be able to say enough thanks to you for the support while I was in the hospital and after, in my recovery. I really do appreciate it. But that's different from living with you. There are things I need to do, can't really explain how much. But I HAVE to do them. And I can't do those things and be with you. It would put you and your family in danger. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you because of me. I can't tell you what those things are either._

 _I know what you're thinking, that I'm just a kid, but what I am trying to explain is that, I'm not. I may be legally young, but I'm not a kid. Hadn't been for a long time._

 _I don't have a family. It's not something against you and your family, but something that has changed in me. My family is dead and I changed into someone who just doesn't fit with families. Loving homes with caring parents are things that I don't get to have anymore. I have accepted it._

 _I can't change back. I can't turn into someone who will get along with others. Can't turn back time and make a broken vase whole. I'm stuck like this and you will only hurt your family by keeping me around._

 _Please don't think that I don't care, I do, that's why I'm leaving._

 _Be happy, don't hold yourself back for me. Dad is gone and can't hold you to a promise that he had no idea would come true, nevertheless the circumstances._

 _We won't see each other again, but I wish you all a nice life. Even Roberta. But specially you and Helena._

 _Bella.'_

 _Helena, who was reading over his shoulder hugged him tighter, resting her head on his shoulder._

 _" Cariño, she is going to be fine. I have hope. "_

Tomas shook his head, running a hand over his face. He hoped Stark could find her.

He wasn't sure he was the best choice for the girl, but whatever what best for Bella he would do it. But he couldn't sacrifice his family for it.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Bella sat on the seat of the small 'eating area' of the trailer as George drove. She took advantage of that time to look over the parts of her computer that she had taken with her. She would need an actual complete computer to get herself the remaining parts. Good thing, it wouldn't need to be a very good one, she could steal or buy a cheaper one.

George tried to keep the conversation going, but she either ignored him or gave too small answers. So he turned on the radio and kept driving in silence.

When they arrived in St Louis, she had her things packed and was already thinking of a way to have him think she asked for help to the police when she actually didn't.

She started wondering how Tomas had taken the letter, but forced herself to stop. Better not to do it.

" Here we are. " Said George, parking on the other side of the street of the police station.

She took her backpack, her things already packed and stood up from the chair, going to the door.

" Thanks Graham, gotta say, you have real luck in finding parking spaces. " She said.

" Thanks, is a talent. " He said.

" You're a funny guy. " She said. " Thanks for the ride. "

" You're welcome. " He said, as she opened the door and got out of the trailer. " I'll keep an eye, make sure you get in the police station in one piece. " He added, through his open window.

" Bye G. " She said.

" Good bye Becky, have a nice life. " He said.

She gave him a wave, moving around the trailer and crossing the street to the police station, keeping her head down.

She went straight to the front desk, knowing that George would probably be watching the door a little to make sure she just didn't walk right out.

" Excuse me? "

" Can I help you, Miss? " Asked the officer there, a young looking man, who looked very tired.

" I am still a few blocks from home. But I really need to pee man. Can I use the bathroom? " She asked, moving up and down to mimic the 'I'm about to burst' universal body language.

" There's a restaurant across the street- "

" It's for costumers only. I don't have ANY money, pleeeeeeease. "

The officer sighed.

" To your left. "

" God Bless you man! " She said, in exaggerated joy and ran to the left.

She did need to use the bathroom, though she wasn't desperate as she pretended to be, so she took her time. She never washed her hands in such a slow pace in her life.

When she got out, she still kept her hoodie up and face out of sight, but gave the officer on the front desk two thumbs up.

" You're great man! "

" Alright. " Said the man. " Now, go home kid. "

" Going. " She said. When she got to the door, she made sure to see that the trailer wasn't across the street anymore. Apparently George was the type to respect others privacy. Her kind of guy.

She got out of the police station, walking down the street and making sure to see if there were any trailers on the streets as she passed by them.

She didn't see any trailers, but as the day passed, and she didn't find a way out of that town, she found an abandoned building that was on a rougher neighborhood and broke in, finding that other people had already been there if the trash was anything to go by. But there wasn't anyone there at the moment, so she could look for a more protected location and lay down to sleep for the night.

* * *

Tony didn't want to pick up when he saw the name of whom was calling. He didn't have good news yet. He had no news. But he picked up anyway.

" Mr Stark. " Came the now familiar voice.

" Tommy, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Tony? " He asked.

" Sorry, forgot. " Said the man. " Any news? "

" Nothing yet. " He said.

" Damn. " Said the military man. " Tony, we need to talk. "

" About? "

" Bella left me a letter. I can't ignore whatever it is that you're hiding anymore. I need the truth, the whole truth. "

That was something he had been afraid of. He didn't want that information spreading.

" After I find her, we can have all the talks you want. But now I'm busy. " He said, then finishing the call. Rude, yes, but he wasn't known for his social graces.

* * *

Bella woke up with a stiff body, a complaining stomach and a general feeling of cold. She picked up her things and left the building. She took the to-go package on her pocket and ate some of the waffles in it, keeping the rest for later.

Now, she had to find a way out of there.

A bus was the best to make sure she would end up where she wanted to go, but to take the bus alone could get attention her way she didn't want. She went to the bus station anyway. She kept her head down, so that cameras wouldn't film her face, and she looked around as she thought of a plan. She tried not to let the crowd around her bother her.

" Well, hello there. " She said, as she saw a young man with a backpack filled with patches of cities in the USA, even a few from out of the country.

She stood up and followed as the young man went to buy a ticket.

" Cross country too, huh? " She asked, standing behind him on the line.

He turned to her and gave her a smile. He looked to be in his twenties, with a tanned skin and blond messy hair.

" Yeah. " He said, with a heavy accent. Foreigner, even better.

" Ever been to Chicago? " She asked.

" No. " He said. " Is it good? " Fortunately, he didn't look to be really smart.

" Of course man! You know, I'm traveling across the country too. I'm going there now. It's a great place. "

" Really? " Asked the man, thinking.

" Why don't you come with me? " She asked, smiling. " We can be bus buddies! "

She hoped this guy fell for it soon, smiling like that and pretending to be friendly was very annoying.

He laughed a little.

" Sure! Bus buddies. " He said, nodding. " Chicago it is! "

She took out a few bills from her pocket. Thanking the heavens for the fact this guy was 'going with the flow while he could'.

" For my ticket. " She said, giving them to him. She wasn't risking showing her face to the employee. The person may actually be smart and realize she looked a little too young.

" Thanks. " Said the man, taking the money and adding to a roll of bills in his hands. " I'm Hans. "

" Dorothy. " She said, thinking of the name on the spot.

" I'm taking a time before going to college, traveling the world. " He said. " Living life. "

" That's great. " She said, rolling her eyes as Hans looked back ahead.

" You? "

" Same. " She said.

" What a coincidence. " Said Hans.

" Amazing one. " She said.

" I'm from Germany. "

" I'm from America. "

As they talked, he got to the window.

" Two for Chicago please. "

Great, a ticket and no record of her name. Things were at least moving forward.

Now, the thing was getting Hans to stop talking to her. She wasn't gonna make it all the way to Chicago being 'Dorothy' the girl who was 'living life'.

* * *

Bella had been pretending to be asleep for ten minutes now. It was either that or to completely lose it over Hans incessant chatter. Seriously, the guy was a talking machine. Not mentioning the wish to take 'selfies' of the 'bus buddies' that she was sure bordered on obsession. The only way she got him to stop was telling him that 'life wasn't about selfies, man. Live the moment.' The last thing she needed was her face on the web.

Fortunately, Chicago wasn't far. They were almost there, another half an hour, and she was free from the blond man next to her.

" Where are you going now, Dorothy? " Asked Hans, once they were out of the bus.

" Who knows? " She said, smiling. Her hoodie still up and face out of the cameras. " Wherever the street takes me. But this is where we say good bye man. "

" I thought we were bus buddies. " He said.

" Exactly. We're not in the bus anymore. " She said.

" See you around then. " He said, smiling.

She turned around and gave a small wave, getting out the fast as she could. No way she was risking being around if Hans decided to continue talking.

Now, she was in Chicago and had a place to stay for more than a night (or so she hoped). Maybe disappear until her face wasn't so fresh in the mind of the police and agents looking for her.

She first had to get herself somethings, which meant money for somethings and stealing for others.

Pick pocketing was a skill she had learned, fortunately, some of the streets were very crowded and there were a lot of targets.

One hour later, she had five wallets in her hands. She took the money and threw the rest in the trash as she walked by the streets. She had managed to get herself 12 hundred dollars and change.

Enough for a really crappy used computer and the tools she needed. It was always hard to steal those. Food, that was easy, any mini market was good.

After she had gotten herself all she needed, she made her way to a neighborhood that she was very familiar with, because it was where most of the homeless populations lived.

She didn't have to look for long until she saw a familiar figure.

" Hey Bob. " She said, getting close to the dog sitting on the floor next to the shopping cart as his owner looked over the contents of a dumpster. " You look fatter. "

The dog cautiously sniffed her hand, before his tail started to swag.

" So you remember me? " She asked, as the man looked away from the trash towards her. " And you? " She asked the mildly surprised man.

" Cyborg. " He greeted her. " Didn't think I would see you again. "

" Hey, Spots. " She greeted the older bearded man with the marks on his face. " Need a favor. "

He narrowed his eyes a little.

" What kind of favor? "

" A place and your silence. "

He huffed, smiling with his stained teeth.

" You know you got it. " He said.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Bella wasn't used to being in the company of others, but she really needed to lie low for a while and Spots was the only person she knew would die before saying a word about secrets that weren't his.

It was what made him so trusted by others on the street.

She was sitting on the floor, inside an abandoned office building that now had been taken over by the homeless population. It had thick walls and protected the people from the elements. In front of her, on the other side of the tin bucket that held a fire was Spots, sharing with his dog the scraps of food he found in the dumpster.

She was eating half of a chocolate bar she had stolen, keeping the rest for later. She had already given another to Spots, a payment of sorts.

" I'm actually glad you're here. " Said Spots, scratching between Bob's ears.

" Why? "

" Need that big brain of yours. "

She narrowed her eyes, leaning back against the backpack she was using as a support.

" People had been going missing. Not moving away, missing. " Said the man.

" What did the police say? " She asked.

" What do you think? They said they just went away. 'That's what these people do.' " Said the man, huffing. " But not these, they were not like you. They wouldn't have just moved. "

" How many? "

" 14. "

Fourteen people, that was too much to be some sort of weird coincidence.

She folded the package of the chocolate, placing it in her pocket for later.

" Give me a few hours. " She said, taking her backpack and laying out the parts for the new computer she had to build.

As she did that, she glanced at the man across from her. Remembering how she came to know him.

 _She was tired, she had been walking for hours carrying her heavy backpack. She needed to sleep. But first, she needed to find a spot to do so. The street was dark and cold, and she wasn't going to make it through the night if she didn't have something protecting her from the night air._

 _She was distracted. A huge mistake when you're on the streets. She didn't hear the van getting close._

 _" Need a ride? " Asked a man, startling her and making her look at the inside of the van, the man's face covered by darkness._

 _" No. " She said, walking faster. The door of the side of the van opened, someone else on the back._

 _She felt arms around her, pulling her in. She struggled, screamed, and hit the man with her elbows. One of them being made of metal and hurting like hell._

 _" Let me go! " She screamed._

 _She heard a dog barking. She saw two men approaching from the street. Two homeless men._

 _" Let her go! "_

 _She was shoved to the side, her head hitting the frame of the door opening and her senses leaving her for a few seconds. She couldn't move, or think properly, her ears ringing._

 _After a few seconds, she heard a gun shot. More men screaming, a dog barking. She was feeling something cold and hard against her cheek. She was on the floor._

 _Her sight cleared, and she could see that the van had moved a little more and hit a light pole further down the street._

 _One of the homeless men were outside the van, breathing hard, a dog by his side._

 _" God. Are they-? " He said, his voice failing. " Are they alive? "_

 _No. Not this. She stood shaking, one hand going to her forehead. The two homeless people were too worried about the bodies inside the van to be worried about her approaching._

 _" What did I do? " She asked herself, seeing two bodies inside the van and a huge man kneeling on the floor of the van, his huge hands covered in blood._

 _" Spot..." Said the bigger man, looking at the older one outside. His tone begging, he didn't know what to do._

 _That seemed to have shaken the man out of his shock._

 _" We need to call the police. "_

 _" No! " She exclaimed. She couldn't be found, she was in the middle of taking the money of an arm's dealer who wouldn't be able to make a huge deal without it. Lots of weapons that would kill innocents wouldn't be on the streets._

 _The man looked at her, both of them. Then they looked at the bodies of the would be kidnappers, then at her again._

 _" Alright. No police. " Said the older man._

She would never be able to repay that dept. She would never be able to forgive herself for not paying attention to her surroundings. If she had, they wouldn't have tried to take her. Spots and Tiny (the other homeless man, he had a name, but she didn't call him by it) wouldn't have been forced to intervene.

She wouldn't have two more deaths weighing down on her. Forever tainting her hands. She wouldn't have two good people's freedom depending on how well they (she mostly) all had managed to make it all disappear.

She trusted very few people in this world. Spots and Tiny were two of them. If Spots needed a favor, she was going to help.

She forced herself not to think about it, just in building her computer and putting her systems back online.

* * *

Surveillance cameras were a reality of life. One had to know how to walk around them. Usually people didn't even know where they were, much less how to avoid them. Whoever was responsible for the disappearance of these people, was smart.

It had been two days since she arrived in Chicago, and she hadn't slept since. Spots had given her all the information he could about the missing, but still nothing out of the ordinary was on camera.

" Cyborg, want? " Asked Tiny, the huge man had a larger beard now, but he was still the same. His mind was innocent, like a child's, his speech following that pattern. People were scared of him when they passed by him on the street, because he was so large, so strong. It didn't matter that he had the biggest heart they had ever seen.

Bella was never going to allow herself to forget that it was her fault that such a man had blood on his hands now. Never going to allow herself to forget that it were her hands the ones stained.

She looked up from her computer screen, feeding on an outlet that she had fixed. The man was holding a can of soup that he was eating out of.

" No, Tiny. Eat it yourself, you need the calories to grow up strong. " She said, making him laugh a little.

" Found the bad people? " Asked the man, not insisting on sharing his food.

" Not yet, Tiny. " She said. " But no way, whoever this is, is smarter than me. "

" No one is smarterer than Cyborg. " He said, smiling.

" Damn right. " She said, looking back at her screen and continuing her search. " Any changes in the routine here? Any new people around? "

He shrugged, he probably didn't notice it.

She was tracking one of the missing people via the surveillance cameras, the most recent one. The woman turned a corner, entering an area that the cameras didn't get.

And she never came out.

Bella smirked, finally somewhere to start.

* * *

After four days, she had managed to narrow down a specific area for each disappearance. She had even managed to locate an old brown van near each one of those locations at appropriate times. The license plates were changed every four disappearances, but she could tell it was the same van from the marks on the painting job.

She put it all together in a USB drive, making sure there was nothing physical that could trace it back to her. The files themselves, she created in her usual paranoid way, with extra layers of 'there's people out for me and I can't slip'.

" Spots. " She said, the older man looking up from his meal. " Here. All the police needs to start. " She said, passing him the USB drive with her gloved left hand, no fingerprints.

" Thanks, Cyborg. " He said, taking it. " What do I say when they ask how I got it? "

" You can fake a story. " She said, stretching her arms. " I need sleep. "

The man smirked.

" Four days. I'm surprised coffee and energy drinks had kept you up so long. " He said.

" Yeah. " She said, already shutting down her computer, that she had to keep on top of an improvised cooling system (parts gifted by Tiny, who stole them) in order not to have it melting from the prolonged use.

After putting it back in her backpack, she barely managed to keep her eyes opened long enough to lay down.

Exhaustion gave her the gift of a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Tony wasn't used to people being smarter than him, specially when he knew something was up. Not after Stane did what he did, Tony learned his lesson and didn't let anything go by without a triple check.

Bella had been gone for too long, it had been six days since she was last seen. She was just too good at disappearing.

He wasn't good at it, but he was going to ask for advice.

" Hill. "

The woman looked up from her computer. He was staying at the compound for the last two days, he didn't want to cross back the country and then find out she was closer to the east coast.

" Tony. " She greeted back.

" What did you do to find her, when she disappeared and you lost track of her? " He asked, no more explanations were necessary, she knew what he was talking about.

" You don't look for her. You look for the ones she's going after. " She said.

" She's running, won't she lie low? " He asked.

" She won't. " Said Hill leaning back on her chair.

" You're sure? "

" It's why she ran away. To work. "

" Work? It's that how you call it? " He asked, walking in and sitting on the chair in front of her desk.

" It's what she calls it. " Clarified the woman, he nodded and didn't say anything for a while.

" She's not going to stay at Tomas' place, is she? " He asked.

" No, she won't. " Said Maria, straight to the point, but she did sound apologetic.

" Other than locking her up, there's nothing I can do, is there? " He asked.

" There could be other things. " She said. " Of course, I haven't figured out what those things are yet. "

" That's not very comforting. " He said. " You're supposed to be the one who knows her best. "

She smiled, a silent chuckle.

" I learned a few things about her, but these geniuses with poor social skills... they're a hard nut to crack. " She said. " Certain things they never share with anyone. "

He didn't need to be a genius to know there was something about him hidden somewhere in there.

" Well, we do tend to keep the most 'evolved' thinking patterns to ourselves, people are just too... slow to get it. " He said, gaining a raised eyebrow from Hill. " You walked right into that one. "

She shook her head, with a half smile.

" It's scary how much you are similar to each other. " She said. " She would probably bite my head off, if she heard that. "

" Yes, always amusing how much she hates me. Never gets old. " He said, rubbing his left eyebrow with his left hand. " Her dream is probably seeing me with a knife on my chest. "

" Don't worry, she doesn't wish you dead. " She said.

" Could have fooled me. "

" She is against murder in a general bases, she doesn't wish anyone dead. " Said Maria, smiling.

" Thanks, that makes me feel much better. " He said, in a sarcastic tone.

" You're welcome. " She said. " A tip, look for other things other than arms dealers. She sometimes varies her targets. "

" Thanks. " He said, taking a moment and getting up from the chair.

" You should consider sleeping too. " She said. " Never know when something will show up, but there is no reason to be ready to drop when that happens. "

He just nodded at her and left her office. He had just drank a huge amount of coffee that was mixed with sugar and energy drinks. No way he was sleeping now.

He walked around aimlessly until he found Steve in the screening room.

" What are we watching? " He asked, entering and taking a seat on the chair next to the super soldier.

" The Ghost Ship. " Said Steve. " 1943. "

" Never heard of it. " Said Tony.

" It's good. "

" Guessing from the title, it's not one of those romantic ones. " Said Tony.

" Right. Never liked those much. " Said Steve.

They stayed quiet for a while, just watching the movie. Tony's leg bouncing up and down from the caffeine.

" Any news? "

" No. " Answered Tony. " Not a clue. "

" Sorry. "

" Just... wished she wasn't so smart. " Said Tony. " At the same time as I am very proud of how much of a genius she is. "

Steve chuckled silently.

" You sounded a lot like a parent right now. " Said the super soldier.

" Ugh. " Said Tony, leaning his head back.

" Sorry about that. " Said Steve, sounding amused.

" I'm so not cut out for this. " Said Tony, felling a giant weight on his shoulders. " Starks aren't made to be parents. "

" You sure seem to enjoy the process of becoming one. " Said Steve.

Tony looked at the man, surprised at the unusual comment.

" Sorry. " Said Steve, shaking his head. " That was... "

" Steve-o, am I rubbing off on you? " Asked Tony, with a smirk.

Steve laughed.

" Lord help me, I guess so. "

" Aw, so proud. " Said Tony.

It was good to have a laugh, relax after being tense for so long. Even if in the end, it didn't change the situation he was in.

" Can we just watch the movie? " Asked Steve, with an eye roll, looking back at the screen.

* * *

Sleeping for too many hours straight was something Bella didn't know anymore. Unless she was under the effect of some drug, and/or in the hospital. So it was no surprise when she woke up still exhausted and checking her surroundings.

The room of the abandoned building still had only hers, Tiny's and Spots' things. The two men sitting on the other side of the room and talking to each other.

" How did it go? " She asked, sitting up and wincing from the pain in her neck due to the position she had been in. After Sokovia, her bones had been a lot more sensitive, aching all the time if it was cold or if she slept too long on a hard surface. She would have to be getting used to hard floors again.

" They wanted to kick me out when I stopped in front of the police station. " Said Spots. " But I managed to make myself heard by talking loudly that the police didn't care for the city's homeless population. "

She wasn't surprised, the cops didn't do anything for these people unless they could either gain something or avoid a PR nightmare.

" And? "

" They wanted to know who gave it to me. The computer stick thing. " He said.

" What did you say? " She asked.

" When I woke up, there was a box in front of me. This inside and a note saying that it was all the necessary information to avoid more lives being lost. " He said.

She smiled, Spots had lied for other's sake many times, despite his living conditions and what others may think, he was a very smart man.

" They bought it? " She asked.

" After a while, yes, they did. " Said the older man. " They took the computer stick and said they would look into it. "

She scoffed. It was probably going to end up at the bottom of their to do list.

She stood up, stretching her aching members. Now she had to find a place to relieve herself and get herself something to drink. Her water was all gone and despite her love for caffeine, H2O was still necessary for living.

She took her things and left the room, keeping her head down. It was a habit that all around this place had. Always have your things with you.

The day was warmer, so she was more comfortable, but that didn't mean she slipped up and forgot to keep her hoodie up.

After taking care of what she needed to, she walked around for a while, taking in the surroundings, seeing what had changed. What people weren't there anymore and who, like Spots, were still there.

After a couple of hours, she got back to the abandoned building and took the spot she had used before and got ready for another nap, hopefully a longer one. She was starting to get hungry, but she could wait awhile.

She was asleep five minutes after.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Vision spent a lot of time in the Avengers' compound, he had no friends outside and his appearance only attracted a crowd of everyone who had seen anything related to Sokovia.

He often thought about Bella, and her experience that was completely opposite to his. She was used to never being noticed. She wandered the streets and roads as if she was invisible, because to most people she was. They didn't want to see her, because they thought she was just another victim of the system, a homeless kid lost to drugs or alcohol. A runaway.

She saw things no one else did, met people he will never meet. Seen and experienced the world as he never had. If it wasn't so dangerous, he would say there was nothing wrong with it, but it was, so he didn't want her to do it.

Two weeks since the last sighting of her, and he was experiencing what he was calling a state of perpetual worry. He was still living his day to day, with the things he did, but underneath it all, he was always worried.

" What are you thinking about? "

He looked away from the horizon line outside to see Wanda next to him.

" Bella. " He answered honestly. Something flashed in her eyes as he said that. " What was that? "

" I was just thinking that... I need to apologize to her. " She said.

" Why? You were tricked by Ultron. " He said, Wanda had more than once expressed deep guilt over what had happened.

" Not that, though I would need to do that too. " Said the woman. " In Seoul... I did something that I am deeply sorry for. "

" What? " He asked.

" I was so focused on my own anger. My own tragedy. Pietro too. " Said Wanda, as always when she mentioned her brother, she got a saddened expression on her face. " She didn't want Ultron to put her in the other cradle. She didn't want it. And I let it happen because I had 'other priorities'. I told myself Ultron's reasons made sense, but to be honest, I just didn't want to jeopardize my revenge on the Avengers. "

She looked down, playing with her fingers.

" I did not know that. " He said, his memories that came from ULTRON were incomplete.

" Well, despite the fact that she is fine now, physically, it's still a very permanent change made to her body, against her will. She didn't ask for it. " Said Wanda.

" I don't know how to say something comforting about that. " Said Vision, honestly again. He couldn't say how Bella felt about Wanda and her actions.

Wanda smiled, amused by something, he didn't know what.

" That's okay. Just talking helps a little I suppose. " She said. " Stark found any leads on her? "

" Not yet. " He said.

" If there's anything I can do... " She offered.

" I'll make sure you know. " He said.

* * *

Bella was getting antsy, she was in one place for too long. It was time to move again. But so far the police had done nothing about the disappearances.

She owed Spots a huge dept. She had to solve this before moving again.

It seemed fate that, the day she was thinking about what else to do, she saw a brown van on the street.

She was out getting herself something to eat, there was a restaurant near that always threw out left overs at this time, she looked inside an alley, and at the moment, a brown van passed by the street on the other side.

She didn't even think, she just ran down the alley, following it. She also cursed herself for her horrible physical aptitude and how hard it was for her to follow the van that was moving under the speed limit.

She had spent so many hours looking at the city's surveillance system that she knew where all the cameras were and that van was moving towards a two block area that had none.

Whoever was driving that van was looking for another victim. She had to do something! The only question was what.

She was the last person anyone would want as backup for a fight. But so far the police was dragging theirfeet, andd she was the one who had seen the van.

She continued following the van as it entered the blind area. Three blocks, and she already felt like her bones were made of stone and her lungs burned without air.

" Why couldn't kidnappers be slow? Like old movie zombies? " She asked herself, then cursing herself for the waste of oxygen.

She was a lot (A LOT) behind the van, so there was a large chance that the person or people inside didn't know she was following them.

She hid behind a pile of boxes disposed by someone as the van slowed down. She saw that there was someone going through the contents of a pile of trash bags.

When she saw the dog, she didn't need to question who it was.

" SPOTS! WATCH OUT! " She screamed, as loud as she could.

Bob started barking, Spots turned around and the van stopped in front of them. The door opened, two large men got out, Spots started running, Bob continued barking for a moment, and that led one of the man to point a weapon at it. The gunshot wasn't as loud as it should have been. The man used a silencer.

The primal animal instinct in Bella told her to run and hide. The girl who had done and saw all the things she did, told her she had to stop them from hurting Spots. No more people would die.

She started to scream.

" HELP! " She screamed, running towards the area where there were cameras on the streets, someone had to listen to her. " HELP! Somebody! " There had to be a cop, SOMEONE.

She managed to run and scream for about five seconds, before she saw that the van was backing down and going after her.

She was close, someone would see her, listen to her. It wasn't that dark out yet, people were still on the street.

" HELP! HELP! HE- " She was stopped mid word, a hand covering her mouth and another grabbing her backpack and pulling her back. She hit the person as hard as she could with her elbows, getting her arms out of the straps and starting to run away, but another set of hands came, her backpack fell.

" Someone is coming! " A man said.

She was pulled back, shoved against a hard surface, then a gun made contact with her head, hard. She was out after that.

* * *

Anyone who passed by the street at that moment would have seen a very large man running, with a big brown beard, dirty with large layered clothes as dirty as him. People would have seen him try to run after a brown van. They would have seen him fail and walk around in circles, confused and talking to himself in a crying tone. They would have seen him cry so hard, he was sobbing as he saw a dead dog on the ground. Picking the animal up and cradling it as if it was a child. They would have seen him walk down the street, carrying that dog and pick up a backpack that was abandoned on the curb. They would have seen him cry even harder holding the object in his other arm as if it was another child.

They would have seen a moment of silence fall over him for a very short moment, then he speeded down the street, screaming 'They took them! The bad people took them! The bad people!'.

A man that size, in that state of mind, carrying a dead dog that was covered in blood and a backpack would call attention in any place. He did call attention on the streets. He called even more attention of the police when he ran in the nearest station.

He was nervous, confused, crying. Hysterical. A very large, strong man that had such an appearance doing that, made people nervous. Specially people with guns.

He had several of them pointed at his face almost immediately. Cops screaming at him. He screaming back. In the state that he was, he wasn't able to think straight. He wasn't going to be able to calm down and talk. He was crying too much. He was too confused. And the only people who got them to calm down were gone.

So the cops did what they were trained to do, they tackled the man to the ground and restrained him. It took a lot of cops and a lot of effort to do it.

He was taken to an empty cell where he would be free to be as hysterical as he wanted, without hurting anyone else. As he was there, the cops looked at the things he brought and calmed down the civilians who saw the scene.

No one seemed to understand the screams meant something very important. All they heard was a homeless man screaming that 'the bad man took them'.

When an officer asked who was taken, he said that the bad man had taken 'Spots' and 'Cyborg'. Not a surprise that they thought he had a screw loose.

One detective, named Jennifer Ground, immediately asked to be the one to take a look at the backpack. And there was no reason for the other officers to find that odd. She worked with them for years, did her job, was friendly. Why would it be a bad thing for her to be the one to go through the backpack?

The others didn't know that she had been receiving several payments for the last nine months, payments that amounted to a big figure. Payments from the person who had texted her telling her to sweep under the rug the whole homeless people going missing situation.

She was almost relieved when she saw no one else in there with her, hiding her nervousness under a calm demeanor. That mask of calm fell a little when another detective walked in the evidence room.

" Okay, let's see what today's crazy brought us? " Asked the older man.

" I got this, Mike. " Said Jennifer.

" No problem. I love the crazies. " Said the man smiling. " Just sad about the dog though, so I'll look at this backpack. Want to bet how much that we'll find a conspiracy theory in here? "

" Or a the end of the world sign. " She said, pretending not to be frustrated.

" Okay, one blanket. " Said the man. " One... women's underwear. Okaayyy. " The man did say okay a lot. " Kind of small for him, but not questioning that. "

" Tools. " She said, taking several tools from all kinds. So far nothing that was bad for her 'employer'. " Electrical tape. "

" Computer. " Said the man, taking the object. " Weird thing to find in a homeless person backpack. Stolen maybe? "

" Probably going to sell it to buy more of whatever he is on now. " She said, the man chuckled a little.

She kept her face impassive, but that worried her. She had gone through a lot of trouble to make sure she was the one the other homeless man talked to, when he came here. She made sure no one heard him when he said that he had a USB with evidence. Now, she had his dead dog and a computer that she had to make disappear.

This must belong to whoever found those videos that showed the disappearances were not just people running away.

" I'm going to send this to tech, find the owner. " Said the older man.

" I can do that! " She said.

" No worries, I'll be right back, just keep digging into the world of psycho dog killer. " Said the man smiling, and holding the computer in his gloved hands.

" It will be no problem. " She said.

" I got it, Jenny. " Said the man, leaving the room.

As she saw the man walking away, she cursed herself. She continued looking over the contents, searching for anything that identified the girl who owned it. She received a text from the man paying her, saying that the backpack fell when they were taking a girl. He thought she was just a witness, but maybe she wasn't. The tools and computer showed that maybe she was the one giving the old homeless man the tip about the van.

She found nothing, no documents, no photos. Not a single thing that identified her. She dropped the things in the backpack and it on the bin labeled evidence. Then she left the room, going to the one their resident tech worked in.

" What is it with you and this guy's things, Jenny? " Asked Mike, the older detective looking at her with a smirk.

" Crazies make me feel bad. Such a shame. " She said.

" Don't tell me you're getting a bleeding heart. " Said the man.

" Wow. " Said the tech, a woman in her mid twenties and a messy hair.

" What? " Asked Jennifer.

" This baby is completely personalized. " Said the woman. " It's... beautiful actually. " She added, looking at the parts, she had seen that the were no numbers on the outside, so she had opened the computer to find the production numbers on the inside parts. " Whoever did this is an artist. And... probably, most likely better than me. "

" What do you mean? " Asked Mike.

" I can see some scrubbed off places, where the manufacturer would have left their number, so this person doesn't want this tracked. And who ever does that and can build such a fine piece of machinery with such different parts, is a genius. A paranoid genius. "

" So, you can't tell the owner from the files inside? " Asked Mike. " I'm getting curious in here. I told you I loved the crazies. "

Jennifer gave him a fake laugh as he laughed.

" I'm going to try, but give me a few minutes, I need to prepare. " The tech looked at the computer with a smile similar to a kid's in a candy store. " So cool. "

Jennifer cursed inside her mind. She couldn't do anything now that the infernal tech woman was drooling all over the computer, so she would see what she was going to do about the dog that was wrapped in plastic and being prepared to be sent to the morgue (just because they had refrigerated drawers, and they didn't want the dead pooch stinking up the place).

She went back to the evidence room, unwrapping the dead animal and seeing the gunshot wound. Idiot man. She couldn't fish the bullet out because it would be clear to anyone that it was a gunshot that someone try to cover.

She sent a text to the man, she needed the gun, she needed to somehow connect it to the homeless man in holding at the moment.

She was begging to think she was being under payed for this.

* * *

Bella woke with a really bad head ache. She tried to move her hands, but they were behind her and something was stopping her from moving them.

It all came back in a flash. She opened her eyes, her eyes getting used to the low lights in the room she was in, lying on the floor.

She was in a dark room, nothing really special about it, except for the fact that it had no windows and the door looked really heavy. Spots was in the corner, tied too and still unconscious.

Still alive, both were still alive. Now she only had to find a way to make sure they continued like that. She used her fingers to feel up the material around her wrists, rope. She could work with rope.

She never thought that it would come a day that it would be good for her to have a vibranium based member.

She looked around, not finding anything sharp, so she sat up, and dragged herself towards the nearest wall. It was hard, because her feet were bound too.

Then she pressed the rope, on the side of her left hand, against the surface and started to rub the rope on the wall, wearing it down. She would hurt herself, but with a glove over her arm and a more resistant member, she was going to be fine.

The only thing she needed was a long time to do it.

* * *

Detective Jennifer Ground got back to the tech room to find the woman who worked there looking at the computer with a shocked face.

" What? " She asked.

" It... killed itself. " Said the woman.

" What?! "

" I barely started, I tried to get in and it killed itself. I couldn't get anything from it. " Said the woman.

That's when Jennifer saw it, the smoke.

" It's on fire? " Asked the detective.

" My best guess is that the security program told the computer to overheat, melting everything in it. " She said, the woman looked about to cry.

" Are you going to be okay? "

" I don't even know what happened. This person is... too good for me. "

Jennifer left the tech room, a little satisfied after that. She didn't know that the tech woman was too curious now, she was hooked. She wanted answers, and she would go so far as to run the fingerprints on the device to see if she could find a name.

* * *

Tony was on the air the second FRIDAY told him that the Chicago police had made a search on some fingerprints and there was a match for Bella.

Finally, a lead and since he was still at the compound, it didn''t take long to get there. As it always happened when he landed on his Iron Man suit, he called a lot of attention, but he didn't care, he was in a hurry and was more worried about finding Bella than being stealthy about it.

" I want to talk with whoever is in charge here. Now. " He said, his suit was outside, locked down and waiting for him.

It took about two minutes for him to be met by a man in his fifties.

" I'm Captain Forrest. " Said the dark skinned man. He had to try really hard not to make any Forrest Gump references.

" Forty seven minutes ago someone entered a finger print in your system, it matched a missing girl called Bella Allan. I want to know everything about it. " Said Tony, skipping all pleasantries. He had waited too long already.

The man was a little taken aback by his 'do as I say' tone and his direct approach.

" I... I'll ask. " Said the man. " Why are you interested, Mr Stark? "

" If it concerns her, it concerns me. " He said.

" How? "

" Can we get into details later? It's very important to find her. I know you don't have her in custody. " He asked.

Being an Avenger bought him some leeway, the captain told him to follow him.

They found out that the fingerprint was put into the system by a forensics technician that was doing the tech girl a favor. The girl, after geeking out a little over his presence, told him what was going on.

" The crazy guy from earlier, the one with the dead dog? " She asked the captain. " Well, in the backpack he had, there was this beauty. " She pointed to a computer that was half melted. " This baby was built by a very smart person. I'm not even sure a fifteen year old can build this, that fingerprint result must be wrong. It was completely customized and the second I tried to peek in, it killed itself. I couldn't get anything, not a single thing from it. "

That system, it was Bella's. It had been made by someone with a Stark brain.

" What dead dog crazy guy? " He asked the captain.

-Tony was making the best out of being an Avenger, using people's respect and admiration to jump over bureaucracy and protocols. He walked in the holding area, and stopped in front of a cell where there was only one person. A HUGE man, smelled and looked like a homeless man.

" Where did you get that backpack? " He asked, the man didn't stop talking to himself and swinging front and back. "HEY! " The man startled, looking up at him. " Where did you get the backpack? "

" The bad people. The bad people took them. " Said the man.

" What bad people? " He asked, the officer next to him looked with pity at the man in the cell.

" That's all he says. The bad people took them. The bad people took Spots and Cyborg. "

" Cyborg? " He asked, his mind immediately making a connection to his daughter's old prosthetics. " Hey Tiny! " He called the attention of the huge man again. " Cyborg? Who is Cyborg? "

The man got up, looking at him.

" The bad man took them. "

" IS Cyborg a girl? " He continued asking. " This girl? " He took out his phone and pulled up a photo of Bella, turning it to the man.

The man looked at the screen.

" Cyborg. "

That single word made his stomach hurt even more than it already was, a symptom that had started since he learned of Bella.

" Who are the bad people? " He asked, eager.

" Bad people make people disappear. Make friends go away. "

" Are you looking into this? " Asked Tony to the officer next to him.

" Into what, sir? He's clearly a crazy person. " Asked the man. " Must be on something. "

" He is talking about people going missing. He is talking about this girl being kidnapped! " Exclaimed Tony.

" Kidnapped? "

" Are you normally this thick or today is just a bad day for you? " Asked Tony, with a harsh tone. " Get me the captain. Now! "

The officer was going to object, but decided to walk out and get his captain.

" Hey, Tiny. What else can you tell me about the bad people? "

" They killed Bob. " Said the man. " They took Spots and Cyborg! "

Already killed someone, that was bad.

" Okay. But how did they look like? "

" Van, Cyborg said they take friends in the brown van. " Said the man. " Said: Tiny, don't get near brown vans! She said no to. "

The man was huge, his hands alone were bigger than Tony's head, but that expression, that crying tone. He looked like an overgrown child.

" Okay, Tiny, we're getting you out of this cell okay? I'm gonna find Cyborg. " He said.

" Spots too? "

" Spots too. "

Tony turned away from the cell, making a call.

" Hill? " He barely waited for the answer. " People are too incompetent here, I need someone with a brain. "


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Note to self, vibranium members still felt pain, it may not be bleeding yet, but it was hurting. The other arm and fingers, that were getting rubbed against the wall because of how tight together her hands were bound, they were hurting a lot, and bleeding too, the skin had been rubbed off some knuckles and the wetness of the blood was soaking her glove.

Spots had woken up a few minutes ago and now was waiting for her to finish, so she could get both of them free. He was nervous, she was nervous, but both were doing their best to appear calm for the other one's sake.

They then heard something, footsteps. She stopped moving her arm up and down. There was the sound of someone unlocking the door.

A man walked in, in his late thirties, early forties. White, short hair and the worse part, a butcher's apron. That was really bad. Bella could not stop her mind from figuring out what the red stains in it were.

The man moved to Spots, grabbing his arm.

" Let him go! " She screamed. " You asshole, let him go! "

The man ignored hers and Spots' protests, just dragged the struggling older man from the room.

" You son of a bitch! " She screamed as the door closed.

The second the door closed she started to work on the ropes again. Faster, more desperately.

* * *

The list of missing persons of a city like Chicago was unfortunately very large. The only good thing, Tiny was a witness and willing to talk to him. The huge man wasn't blabbering anymore, apparently knowing that Tony was looking into saving 'Spots' and 'Cyborg' was enough to calm him down a little.

" No. No. No. " Said the giant man as the images passed byon the computer screen. " They are not my friends. "

Tony was next to him, working on his cellphone. He stopped at that word. How could he be so stupid?

" Friends? Do your friends live on the streets? "

" They sleep on the street. " Said the man, nodding. " The bad people took them. "

" Missing homeless people. " He said, to the female detective on the computer. " What do you got? "

" Homeless people are by definition a hard bunch to keep an eye on. They don't really 'disappear', they move, go to other places- " She started saying.

" What do you got on the disappearances of homeless people? " He insisted.

She looked to be thinking and nervous.

" Hey, wasn't there a guy here the other day? " Asked a young officer carrying a bunch of coffee cups.

" I don't think so. " Said the female detective.

" No, he was. He looked homeless too. " Said the man as he placed coffee cups on tables all around the room. " He had a dog and was yelling that people were going missing. You were the one that talked to him, Detective Ground. "

" Oh, right. " Said the woman, nodding. Too nervous. Was she slacking off on her job? Or was it something else? Tony sent a text and had Hill looking into her, just in case. " Yeah, he didn't have much. "

" Right. " Said Tony. There was something off about this woman. He took out his phone and entered the precinct system, looking over video cameras. " When was this? "

The young officer was the one to give him the day, after thinking for a while. Tony didn't have to wait for long until he found the homeless man in question in the video.

" Hey, Tiny. Know this guy? " He asked, showing the image on his phone.

" Spots. " Said the man, then making a crying face and pointing to the dog. " Bob. "

" Bob is the dog? The one you brought? "

" The bad people hurt 'im. " Said the man, crying a little. " Hurt 'im real bad. "

" Okay. That's okay, man. " He said, patting the man on the shoulder, he looked about to start crying again. He typed the command on his phone to have FRIDAY run a lip ready program over the image and send him the results later.

The phone started to ring, Hill.

" What do you got? " He asked, picking up.

" Traced the path of a brown van that was on the area at the time mentioned by your witness. " Said the woman. " Sent the license plate to the force there. "

" Any idea where it is now? " He asked.

" Lost track of it on an area that doesn't have any cameras. I sent you the address. " Said the woman, then hanging up.

" Look Tiny, I'm going to go rescue Cyborg and Spots okay? " He said.

" Really? " Asked the man, tears in his eyes. Seriously, that guy was just too innocent.

" Yeah. " He answered with certainty and started walking out.

" Mr Stark! " Called the detective lady.

" Going to do your job for you! I'm sending you an address, send people there. " He yelled over the noise of the people in the huge room, ans the camera clicks of people taking pictures of him.

He got out of the precinct and entered his suit, the people taking selfies with it stepping away, and he took flight.

In less than two minutes, he was flying over an area that had several abandoned factories, scanning all of them.

One had heat signatures. From what looked like four people in one room with a larger heat signature and another one alone, walking slowly down the hall towards the others. Smaller person.

Bella. Finally.

He flew in.

* * *

She had gotten herself rid of the bounds and after using the hair clips she had hidden in her sock to pick the lock. She had to save Spots, but how? She needed a phone or something to ask for help, but until she got one, it could be too late.

She glanced at some old pipes that were passing by the ceiling. She couldn't reach them. She looked in the next room she found, getting a chair and using it to stand on, dried the blood from her hands, so she wouldn't slip, then jumped until she reached the metal pipe.

She had hoped just her weight would be enough to make the thing break, but apparently she was too small and thin. If it wasn't her, and if she wasn't so nervous and under a life threatening situation, she would have found the situation comical. A girl hanging there like a PE reject.

She pulled herself up then leg go, the metal making a noise. After the third try, finally it gave in, and she fell down on the ground with a pipe on her hands. She stopped, hoping the noise hadn't alerted anyone, hoping she was far enough away for it to be drowned by the thick walls.

No one came, and she breathed in relief.

Now she had a weapon. Something to use in case she was seen. She only hoped they had delicate skulls, because she didn't have many muscles.

She continued walking by the hall, after a few minutes, she started hearing voices. She made her best to be quiet. Looking for anything that would help her.

She heard a scream. Sounded like Spots. He sounded in so much pain. She held the pipe tighter, holding it up. She took a deep breath, gathering courage and approached a doorway that had light coming out from. She took another breath and peeked through, taking her head back just as fast.

Three people. That wasn't good. Spots was in some kind of torture table with psycho butcher standing over him. Two other men looking at them like it was some kind of show.

She felt her stomach churn at the idea of what they were doing. Killing Spots by slowly torturing him and getting off by doing and watching it.

She walked away from the door, struggling to keep her increasingly fast breath quiet.

She had to come up with a plan fast. She had to stop them now. She looked up. Lights, killing the lights would slow them down. She turned around and ran silently down the hall until she was far enough not to be afraid to be heard.

She found a light switch and took the plastic casing out. Then she pulled out some wires, not cutting them yet.

She stooped when she heard a strange sound. She picked up the pipe and turned around, hitting the person with it. But it made a metal hit metal, sound instead of a metal hit flesh one.

Iron Man.

" Ouch. " Said Stark, fortunately not loudly. " That was a horrible swing. "

Fuck. He found her. Wait, she had back up now.

" They have Spots. " She said. " They're torturing him. I'll kill the lights, you save him. "

A second of silence came.

" Do that and stay here. Hiding behind that desk. " He ordered, they were in an old office, so there was some old furniture there. " Okay? "

She turned back to the light switch.

" Okay?! " He insisted, his voice a little higher.

" Fine. Just save Spots. " She said. She heard him moving away, then she killed the lights.

She left the room, moving away from the torture room, the psychos, Spots and Stark.

In the dark it was hard, but she knew some of the way. She was a staircase away from a room that had a window.

She used the pipe in her hands to break the glass, clearing some of the broken shards and jumping down what she was sure was a two-story height. Landing painfully on her butt, the pain shooting up her spine. She stood up fast, not giving herself time to feel it, listening to approaching sirens.

" Fuck! Fuck! Shit! Shit! Shit! " She said, running away from the building, towards the wall around the property. Too high, she needed something to climb on.

She found crates, old and dirty, but looked good enough for her weight. Awesome. She climbed them, standing on the highest one and after two attempts, managing to grab the top of the wall.

When she tried the first time to pull her weight over the gigantic PE nightmare in front of her, she failed, not surprisingly it didn't work.

" Stupid wall. " She said, breathing hard. The second attempt didn't work either. The third one got her to have her chest up there, she trying to get her leg over it. " Stupid freaking gigantic wall. "

" This is just ridiculous. " She heard behind her, making her stop and look back at Stark, face plate up, looking at her from a few feet away. She released her hold on the wall and fell on the crates, the top one braking with her weight, and she receiving several cuts from the wood. Great, as if she wasn't all injured already. Fortunately, most of the damage was contained by her clothes.

" Ouch. " She said.

" Are you okay? " Asked Stark, as she tried to get out of the pile of old wood. " Come on, let me help you. "

" Got it! " She exclaimed, standing up and trying to ignore her aching limbs. " Get away from me. "

" That guy is okay, if you care. "

" IF I care? The question is if you do! " She exclaimed looking up at him as she finally stepped out of the pile of wood. " Or is there a bunch of reporters for you to brag to, outside? "

" I care. I'm here because YOU got yourself kidnapped! Because you ran away! " He exclaimed. " I was worried sick. We all were. Seriously, you're giving me an ulcer. "

" I feel so bad for your poor delicate stomach. " She retorted in a very sarcastic tone. She rubbed her forehead, wincing when she passed a hand over a sensitive area, where she had been hit on by one of the three psychos. " It's Spots really okay? "

" Will be. Wounds are superficial. He's waiting for the cops, the bad guys are all unconscious. " He said.

She breathed in relief.

" Was there... anyone else, in there? " She asked.

" No other heat signatures. " He said, after a moment, looking to be hesitating in telling her that.

Fourteen people. Fourteen, killed by those psychos. Tortures, their pain made into entertainment, killed. Then it hit her, she saw a furnace in that room.

" The furnace. " She reached the realization. That's why there were no bodies showing up.

" Yes. " Said Stark, he too had reached the same conclusion apparently. He took a deep breath. " I'm taking you to the compound now. Have you looked at by a doctor. "

" No. " She said, starting to walk away from the man, there had to be an entrance somewhere.

" Yes. "

" I don't know if you're thick or if this is just a bad day for you, but let me the most clear I can. I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU! " She exclaimed.

" Okay, I'm done. " He said, the face plate going down.

Next thing she knew, hands were holding her and lifting her in the air. She screaming did nothing to stop him.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Tony wasn't a patient man, never had been. So he wasn't going to sit there and have an argument with someone as stubborn as Bella.

He did feel a little bad when his scans showed how high her heart rate was. But he had just rescued her form a group of psychos that tortured, killed and burned people. He was getting her to the safety of the Avenger's compound immediately. His beautiful compound with his security system that could make sure that she stayed put.

Safe and sound. Then he could stop worrying about her every second of the day.

When he landed on the ceiling of the compound, the girl jumped from his grasp, hitting the floor on her hands and knees, breathing hard and shaking.

" Are you okay? " He asked.

" NEVER, do that again! " She exclaimed, pulling her hoodie back up and covering her mouth with her hand.

" If you're gonna hurl- " He didn't have the chance to finish as she stood up and ran to the edge, throwing up. He hoped there wasn't anyone down there. Bad thing to come down from the sky.

She wiped her mouth, standing up and going towards the door.

" Asshole. " She muttered.

Okay, maybe he shouldn't have flew her in like that. But no way he was regretting having her there as fast as he could have brought her.

" Where are you going? " He asked, stepping out of his suit, having FRIDAY fly it to where it was stored, then following her.

" Away from you. " She retorted.

" You're not leaving. " He said.

" Yeah, I am! " She said.

" No, you're not. "

" Yeah, I am! "

" NO, you're not! "

This fascinating battle of the two stubborn genius minds continued until they finished climbing down the stairs, and they met Maria.

" Ah! Super fan! I should have known you were going to be here. " Said Bella. " Sorry, no autographs. "

" Wow, my heart is broken. " Said Maria, with a straight face and a deadpan tone.

" I know. Disappointment is a part of life. " Said Bella, moving around the woman.

" You're bleeding Bella, the doctor is waiting to have a look at you. " Said Maria, not turning to look at the girl.

" What have I told you before? No medical check ups before the third date. " Said the girl.

" But you already know this one. " Said Maria. " Dr Cho would like to have a word with you too, not just bandaging you up. "

To Tony's surprise, Bella stopped at that. He thought that she was going to keep walking until he had no choice but to lock the doors.

Maria didn't seem to be surprised as she turned around.

" This way. " Said the woman.

* * *

Bella tried to calm down, she really did. But somethings couldn't be helped. She blamed the emotional toll of having being kidnapped, failing to save Spots from it and the torture, learning that those guys would have tortured them both and burned the remains. Like they were nothing more than trash. Like they did to all those people. Then Stark showed up and all the emotions that he brought with him, came along too.

The last drop was the flight. The metal arms reminded her of Ultron. And it freaked her out. She remembered falling to her death, the moment she realized she was going to die. To die along with the entire world. To die knowing that she could have done something, anything, but didn't.

It was a surprise she made it to the compound before throwing up.

Landing didn't stop the memories, Stark following her and being so damn infuriating was not helping. She just wanted to get out of there. She needed to make sure that those monsters would be brought to justice in Chicago. That Spots was okay. And Tiny, the man was probably completely lost without Spots.

But knowing that Cho was there made her stop. She opened her hands, that had been in tight fists, then closed them again, feeling the motion in both. Dr Cho, who was responsible for her arm and leg, while being mind controlled.

She wanted to run away from there, but she wanted to see the doctor's reaction to her. To see her own reaction to her. When she entered the medical room, she was glad to see that Hill and Stark didn't go in.

" Miss Allan. " Greeted Cho, looking at her with an unsure smile. " Got yourself in a little trouble? "

" Helen. " Said the girl. " You got here fast. "

" I was already in the country. " Said the woman, with a small shrug. " Go on, sit down, let's have a look at you. "

" You and your need to get your hands on me. " Said Bella, trying to keep it cool, sitting down at the medical bed. She really did have a huge headache. She kept her hands in her pockets to hide how she was still shaking from the terrifying flight over there. " We need to talk about getting yourself some action. First thing: What are you into? Men, women, sock puppets? "

Cho laughed a little, it was awkward. ' Good, so it's not just me.' Thought Bella.

" I'm good. " Said Cho.

" Suit yourself. " Said the girl.

Cho approached, looking at the wound in her forehead.

" Let's get started. This looks like it's hurting a bit. " Said Cho.

* * *

Helen worked as fast as she could without risking overlooking something. From the little time they spent together, she had already learned the girl hated being fussed over. The doctor could only imagine how tense it would have been her relationship with the doctors and physiotherapists when the girl was recovering from the two times she had been hurt bad enough to be hospitalized.

" Okay, all bandaged up. " She said, she had already given up in not sounding awkward.

The girl was calmer now, when she had entered the room, she was shaking and her heart rate elevated, Cho didn't mention anything about it, best not to make her angry.

" I also wanted to talk to you. " Said Helen. " It's about what happened in Seoul. "

Bella's right hand gripped her forearm, looked involuntary.

" Figured that much. " Said the girl.

" I... am sorry. " Said Cho. " This decision shouldn't have been made for you. "

" You were under mind control. " Said Bella. " Not exactly a position to be making decisions either. "

" I know, but I feel guilty, and I am apologizing. " Said Cho.

" Right. " Said Bella, standing up and moving backwards to the door. " So I'm going. Bye Helen. "

" I'm also asking how they're... doing? " Said Cho, taking the chance now, that Bella was still here.

Bella stopped, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

" They're functional. " Said the girl. " A little heavy. A little showy with the color. "

" But you're feeling fine? " Asked Cho.

" Always. " Said Bella. " Sooo... is your guilt trip over now? 'Cause this is uncomfortable. "

Cho smiled a little.

" It was nice seeing you again. " Said the doctor. " I'm glad you're okay. "

" Yeah, yeah. Bye. " Said the girl, turning to leave the medical room, but stopping. " Look, since we're on this guilt sharing moment. " The girl took a deep breath, but didn't turn around. " I am sorry about your coworkers. They shouldn't have died. And I am sorry about ULTRON mind controlling you. "

" Thank you, Bella. " Said Cho, surprised at the honesty in the girl's voice.

" Yeah, yeah, whatever. " Said the girl, leaving the room.

Cho still felt guilty, but it was good to see that the girl didn't seem to be angry at her. It was also somehow amazing to see how similar the girl was to Stark. Not that she believed either of them would ever believe that.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Bella was horrible in being honest to people. She could do sarcastic all day, but opening up was impossible. Tomas was okay, she guessed, Helena too, because she knew them all her life, even with them she had limitations. The rest of the world, on the other hand, was a no no. She just couldn't get herself to be open, it was like her system went into emergency mode, and she had to make a quick exit or damnation would fall.

That was where she was now, 'quick exit' mode. Too bad that there was someone following her around and trying to get her to stop her flight mode.

" Can you just stop? " Asked Stark.

" No! " She said.

" Fine! I can walk and talk at the same time. " He said, easily following her pace, much to her annoyance.

" What an effort. " She retorted.

" Having a conversation with you seems to be. " He said.

" Then stop trying. " She said, looking for the staircase, because there was no way she was being trapped in a small contained space with that man.

" Giving up doesn't exist in my vocabulary. " Said Stark.

" Is that why you hang on to the delusion that you're still young? " She asked, sending him what she knew was a very annoying smirk. " Let me tell you. You're not fooling anybody. "

" Very funny. "

" I think it's more depressing. " She said, looking away from his face and continuing walking.

" I think your opinion on what's depressing can't be trusted. Given that from the both of us you're the one that smells like a homeless person. " He said.

" Aww, did I offended your rich baby senses? " She asked, in a mocking tone.

" An offense to me is that you seem hellbent on dying. " He said. " And that's me saying it! "

" What? " She asked turning to him.

" You heard me. " He said.

" You know what? Think whatever you want. " She said. " I don't care what you think. Only think it away from me. "

She turned back ahead and continued walking.

" Not happening. " He said.

" Yes, happening. " She said back.

" No. "

" Yes! "

" No! "

That man was infuriating, but no way she was letting him get the last word. She finally found a staircase and got down another level, unfortunately, that place was huge, and she still wasn't on the floor level. She had to find the area she had met on her first time there, and use it to get out of there.

" Okay, that's enough the two of you. " Both of them stopped at the voice, turning around to see Captain Rogers. She was about to say something at him. " I don't care who started it, I'm ending it. " Added the man, pointing at them with a pointed look.

She turned to Stark.

" I'm not an Avenger. Nanny America is your problem. " She said, then continuing walking.

" Miss Allan- " Started Rogers.

She was definitely not a happy camper. She had to get out of there, she was feeling trapped and not liking it.

" Look! I don't have time for whatever this routine is. " She said, pointing from Stark to the Captain. " I got to go check on Spots. "

" I told you he's going to be fine. " Said Stark, running a hand on his hair.

" Like I'm going to take your word for it. " She said.

" Why would I lie? "

" You're Stark. " She said, giving him her answer.

" What? " He asked.

" You heard me. "

* * *

Steve thought that one Stark was already too much to handle. He was right, because to handle two was impossible.

" Okay, I can't believe I have to do this. " He said. " FRIDAY? Can you ask Vision to get here please? " He pointed between the two geniuses in front of him. " You two are having a time out. "

" What? " Both geniuses asked in unison.

" You two heard me. " Said Steve, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

" I'm in crazy land. " Said Bella, turning around and walking away.

" This was not my doing. " Said Tony, looking at her. " I had no idea he had that side to him. "

Tony turned to Steve, with that smirk of his.

" She's so sweet, isn't she? " He asked sarcastically.

" Just like you. " Said Steve, with a side smile. " Vision said she doesn't hate him, I think he'll be able to calm her down. "

Tony laughed to himself, running a hand over his forehead.

" I need a drink. " He said. " Want to join me? "

" You know they really have no effect on me. " Said Steve.

" So you'll make sure I remain awake. " Said the man, going the opposite way Bella did.

" Are you sure you should be drinking? " Asked Steve, walking with him.

" I am sure I really want to. That girl gives me a headache. " Said Tony.

" So now you know how is like. " Said Steve.

" Aren't you funny today? " Asked the billionaire.

" I've always been funny. You only noticed now because you're not laughing too, you can hear what's going on around you. " Said Steve. " That's what happens when the joke is on you. "

Stark laughed at that.

" Aw. Look at that, barely a hundred and all grown up. " Said Stark. " Making jokes at other people's expense. "

" Thanks. " Said Steve with a sarcastic smile.

* * *

Bella didn't have to wait much to see Vision flying up through the floor.

" You know, every time you do that, I feel like you're would be the world's most successful pervert. Flying through walls without any warning and completely silent like that. "

" I told her that it was an accident, I don't do it with the door closed anymore. " Said Vision, sounding defensive.

" Told who? " Asked Bella, smirking. " Are you spying on a special girl? "

" I wasn't spying. " Said Vision. " I merely wanted to tell her that Captain Rogers wanted to speak with her. "

" And... "

" I didn't realize that she was still changing. " He said, looking a little embarrassed.

She had to laugh at that, a lot.

" I fail to see how that's funny. "

" Aw... is little Vision blushing? But we really can't tell because you're all red already? " She asked. " Who is this poor girl you're going all voyeur on? "

" Wanda. "

She stopped smiling immediately.

" She's here? " She asked. " I thought she hated the Avengers. "

" Things changed. " Said Vision. " She is still training, learning to work as a member of the team. "

" Oh. " She said, rubbing her arm.

" She wishes to speak with you. " Said Vision.

" Jeez. Everyone wants to talk to me. " She said, starting to walk down the hall again. " Can't I just be alone? "

Vision floated next to her as she walked.

" I have a room, but never use it. You can stay there if you want. " He said.

" No. I don't want to be in a Stark bought room. " She said.

" Why? Staying here will not turn you into him. It's just a room. " He said.

She stopped, turning to him.

" Can you take me to Chicago? " She asked. " I need to see if Spots is okay. "

" Mr Stark wishes- "

" Screw ' Mr Stark's' wishes! " She exclaimed.

" Bella, I was worried about you. " He said. " Having you here where I can see that you are alright is finally making me feel better. Can't you stay just a little while longer? "

" Oh come on, man! " She said, looking at him. " Not you too with the guilt trip! "

He smiled.

" Enough to buy me a few hours of you not trying to get away? " He asked.

It was not like she was going anywhere, not with this security system keeping her very closely watched.

" I want coffee. Extra caffeine. " She said.

" We do have coffee. "

" And I need a computer. "

* * *

" This is better. " Said Tony, swallowing the liquid. It burned it's way down and brought warmth to his torso.

Steve was sitting next to him, drinking too, but he didn't look any different, because truly other than the taste, whiskey was not any different from water to him.

" Is it really? " Asked the super soldier.

" Oh yeah. "

" Look, Tony, I know I'm not really one to tell you how you are feeling. " Started Steve.

" I feel a but coming. " Muttered Tony.

" But... are you sure that drinking will help you deal with her in any way? "

" Stark's don't deal with family issues while sober. " Said Tony, smiling at the man next to him. " And I don't see she talking to me any time soon. Truth is, I don't know what I'll do with her yet. "

" Mr Perez' home? " Asked Steve.

" She certainly does not hate them, but she won't stay there! Besides, there's only so much they can do, they have other kids, their jobs. " Said Stark, his frustration slipping through his voice. " Girl doesn't seem to care if she dies or not. "

He took another long gulp of his drink. The burn did help in easing his frustration.

" She needs to talk to someone. " Said Steve.

" HA! " Tony laughed once. " Like she will. Even if she did, a lot of what's wrong is connected to her activities online and those are better not to be mentioned to anyone else. A simple whisper of that comes out, and she's dead. "

Steve got a thoughtful expression, but didn't say anything.

" What? "

" Nothing just... maybe there's someone who already knows and is used to talking with people who need help. " Said Steve.

" Who? "

" I think Sam is in the training room. " Said Steve.

* * *

Caffeine and internet access. That was enough to calm her down a little. Not enough, but a little. A tiny little bit.

The Avengers already had access to many databases, so she wouldn't need to break in. Good. Now, she only needed to figure out if Spots was okay. And look into one thing that was bothering her, why was Spots targeted after he delivered a flash drive with evidence to arrest the freaks?

The freaks in question were a pair of brothers and their friend. They knew each other since they were kids growing up in spoiled brats school. They had money and jobs in family's companies that were not going away, so they could spend as much time as they wanted dedicating themselves to their 'hobby'.

She dug deeper into them, seeing a few things that were swept under the rug. Such as pets from neighbors going missing when they were kids.

Psychos and sadists.

She felt her stomach churn, remembering how Spots was in that table, under their knives.

Spots was the only one pressing the police to do something about the murdered people. It wasn't a coincidence that he was the one taken after the flash drive was delivered, which meant that the police had a mole.

* * *

Vision only watched as Bella did her investigation, the complete focus and quick fingers that typed fast. Eyes that read all the information in a speed that people would not think humanly possible. The rhythm only slowed when one of her hands went to grab the mug on the table and to place it back after she took a sip of the coffee filled with sugar.

" Did you find anything? " He asked after a couple of hours.

She startled, so focused she was on what she was doing.

" Jeez, Red. " She said, a hand to her heart. " Don't scare me like that. "

" Sorry. "

" I mean, look at how much caffeine I just drank. " She said, running a hand through her hair and messing it up even more.

" I'm sorry. " He reiterated.

" Fine. " She said. " Just be quiet, I'm working. "

" I asked what had you found. " Said Vision, walking closer and looking at the screen.

" Why do you care? Isn't this 'below' Avengers' level? " She said. " Not important enough for ya? "

Vision wasn't surprised at the reaction, it didn't mean that it didn't hurt that she accused him of not caring.

" We can't be in all places at once. " He said.

" So why do you care? " She asked.

" Because you were there. " He said. " And your friend was hurt- "

" So just because I was there? " She asked, talking louder. " Those people didn't have anyone to worry about them. They disappeared and NO ONE CARED. Spots did, and he got kidnapped and instead of having people care for him, people were there for me? I didn't even manage to stop it. To save Spots. Or those people. I should have gone to Chicago earlier- "

He wanted to stop her rant, so he placed his hand on her shoulder, she moved away, standing up from the chair and taking a few steps away.

" Just- " She started. " I need to check in on Spots. I need to make sure the police gets the mole they have because it's the only explanation. "

" A mole? " He asked.

" Spots gives them all the evidence they need to foul play and the next person to be targeted, is him? " She asked. " No way that's a coincidence. And where's the evidence I sent them? Not anywhere, someone buried it! "

Vision understood that she was upset, being near Tony made her this way. He also understood that being kidnapped and having a friend tortured was an upsetting too. He just felt at loss in what to do to help her.

" Then we will look into it. The people responsible will be arrested, no need to worry. " He said.

She scoffed, running a hand over her hair again, it was almost all up now.

" People died! " She exclaimed. " I see no reason to be cool about it. "

" That is not what I meant- "

" Well, it's what you said, Red. " She interrupted him, looking around and starting to pace.

" I'm sorry if it came out this way. "

" Stop apologizing too. " She said, turning to him. " Look, I can't be here. "

" You're safe here. You're not disappearing again. " He said. " And you're getting too agitated, maybe you should work on calming down. Taking a nap. "

" A nap? " She asked raising an eyebrow. " What am I? Four? " She moved back to the chair, focusing her attention on the computer.

" What was I thinking? A human, sleeping? The absurd. "

" Don't be smart. " Retorted her, but not looking away from the computer.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Bella didn't mind Vision too much, but she had to remember he was on Stark's side on everything. Not hers. There was only one thing that he did right and it was letting her work.

She didn't sleep, she kept working and by 10 am of the next day, she had figured the whole thing out.

She sent the whole package of information to the captain of the police station in Chicago.

" That was good, fast work. "

She jumped almost a foot in the air when she heard the voice.

" CRAP! " She exclaimed, a hand going over her heart. Then looking back to see Hill standing there. " Can you NOT be a creep at least one time that we meet?! "

" I just said that you did a good job. " She said, one eyebrow raised, Bella had the impression the woman was enjoying annoying her.

" While sneaking up on me? How long have you been there silently spying on me? " Asked Bella, running a hand over her face.

" Not my fault you zoned out. " Said Hill, looking over the table. " Coffee and nothing else, huh? "

" Yes. " Said Bella.

" You do know that your doctor said not to drink caffeine. "

" And you do know where the doctor can shove that suggestion. " Said Bella, standing up and feeling her muscles ache from the time she was sitting there. And the injuries she had from the day before. She also felt her bladder remind her that she needed a bathroom.

" You should have some breakfast. Then sleep a little. " Said Hill, as Bella left the room. The girl was sure that the woman was trying to see what Bella left on the computer. Or having the FRIDAY AI do it. " Not a suggestion. "

" Then you know where you can shove that 'order'. " Said Bella.

" Down your throat? Because you're not getting off that easy? " Asked Hill, following her. Apparently she had the AI do it.

" You know what? " Asked Bella, turning to the woman. " It's annoying how stubborn you are. "

" Good, now you know how it's like. " Said Hill.

" Too bad I'm too good at it. " She said, smirking at the woman and continuing walking. " Not hungry. Not tired. Can't make me! "

She heard a sigh as she walked, which kind of made her happy that Hill didn't sound like she would continue talking about it, even if she had the impression she hadn't heard the last of it.

Bella continued walking, pulling her hoodie up when she saw some other people on the halls. And of course stopping when she saw a bathroom. After taking care of nature's call, she wanted to continue walking until she left the building, but Hill wouldn't get out from her way, so she just HAD to walk in the room the woman was pointing at.

And of course, Stark was there. Along with Tomas. She barely had time to see his face before the man crossed the distance between them and engulfed her smaller figure in a hug.

" Please, please don't ever do that to me again. " Said Tomas, low enough just for her to hear.

It always hurt her to see him worried like that. Why couldn't he just listen to her? It wasn't worth it. She wasn't worth it. Because she wouldn't, couldn't change.

She thought about hugging him back, but she wouldn't, not with Stark in the room.

" You read my letter? " She asked, lowly, just for him to listen.

" I did. " He said, letting go of the hug and looking her over, pulling the hoodie a bit back to see the bandage on her head. " You can't ask me that. "

" You can't ask me this. " She said.

She looked away from the man, at Stark who was sitting on a chair by the meeting table in the room. He wasn't looking at them, but his very presence there felt like intrusive.

Tomas sighed.

" Okay. " He said, now in a normal volume. " We need to talk. All of us. "

" I'm not talking to him. " She said.

" Bella. " Said Tomas, looking at her with that expression of his that made her feel as guilty as hell. " I can't handle this anymore. I need answers. This is making me insane. Please, if you could just... stand him for a few minutes. For me. "

She thought about it for a moment. Stark would be talking to him anyway. This way she could know what was said. And there was also that look in Tomas' face that made her feel so bad.

" Fine. " She said, moving to the chair the furthest away from Stark.

" Thank you. " Said Tomas. " Now, what happened to you? "

" Nothing- "

" She got herself kidnapped by a group of torturing serial killers. " Said Stark.

" WHAT? " Asked Tomas, going to stand next to her again, looking her over again, paying attention to all the bandages.

" I'm fine. " Said Bella. " They're in custody. "

" Because I showed up to save you. " Said Stark.

She glared at him.

" I had a plan. " She said.

" Really? And what that was? Hit them with that pipe using your amazing muscles? " Asked Stark, using a very sarcastic tone. " In the dark? "

She wanted to say no, but actually that had been her plan. She leaned back on the chair.

" Yeah, great idea- " Continued Stark, before being interrupted.

" Mr Stark, why don't we focus on what happened? " Asked Tomas, sitting on the chair next to Bella's. " And that goes to you too, pequeña. "

" I didn't say anything. " She said. Tomas only looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a 'I know you' look. " Fine. "

" Thank you. "

" Turns out, Chicago had a group of serial killers that kidnapped, tortured and burned homeless people. " Said Tony. " Bella got taken with another guy. " She hated that Tomas was listening to that, she could feel his worry from where she was sitting. " They didn't have the chance to do anything serious to her, you don't have to worry about that. " At least Stark was quick in adding that piece of information.

" And the other guy? "

" Spots is alive, but it's not getting released from the hospital yet. Apparently he had some health issues he neglected. " Said Bella, remembering all that was on the hospital system.

" Spots? "

" Yeah, that's how people call him. " Said Bella.

" Why? "

" Does it matter? " She asked.

" No, you're right. " He said, breathing deeply. " Is he a friend? "

" No. " She said.

" Yes. " Said Stark at the same time.

" How the hell do you consider yourself qualified to answer that? " She asked, an aggressive tone to Stark.

" Because I talked to him, even if briefly. And I talked to Tiny. " Said Stark, leaning back with his feet up on the table. " The only reason we've been able to find you was the gigantic man. So you should be grateful that I talked to him. "

" It will be a cold day in hell the day I thank you- "

" Bella! " Interrupted Tomas.

" You want me to be nice or to completely change my personality? " She asked, folding her arms in front of herself.

" My mistake. " Said Tomas. " Now, there is something Tony and I were about to talk about. For your sake I asked for you to be here, because I wanted this all to get cleared up. "

No way he was going to ask that. Not that.

" I need to know what is this 'work', that Bella talked about in her letter. What is it that she is doing? "

" You don't need to know that. " She said.

" You can't tell me that. "

" I can and I am. I explained, it is safer to everybody if you just... live your life with your family- "

" Our family, kid. "

" No, is not. " She said, knowing that it was going to hurt him, but he just refused to see the truth.

" She's a cyber vigilante. " Suddenly said Stark.

She looked at him with more anger than she looked at anyone before.

" Don't you dare. " She hissed at him.

" What? " Asked Tomas, looking between the two of them.

* * *

Tony knew that Bella hated him. He knew that she didn't hate Tomas. It still gave him an odd feeling to see how she received that hug without moving away. In that gesture and the start of their talk it was clear how different the two men were on her eyes.

She obviously didn't want Tomas to know what she did. Tony understood, he had been hesitant too. But he was not seeing a way around it. Maybe it would even be good.

" She's a cyber vigilante. " He said, after seeing her denying the man as family.

The look she sent him was pure anger.

" Don't you dare. " She hissed at him.

" What? " Asked Tomas, confused.

" She has spent the last years stealing money from international dealers and giving it all back to their victims. " He said.

Tomas was a military man, he had been in war, he understood what that meant. It meant that the girl was in more danger than he had known.

Tomas raised his hands to his face, covering it for a moment, then lowering them again.

" Who? " He asked, as if he had lost the air in his lungs.

" Easier to ask who she didn't do this to. " Said Stark.

" It's not your problem, Stark. Neither was your choice to make. " Said Bella, glaring daggers at him. " It's better if he's out of it. "

" Better for me? " Asked Tomas looking at her with an angry expression, but his tone was worried. " What about you? "

" I- "

" Don't you dare say you don't care! " Interrupted her Tomas.

That sentence made alarms sound in Tony's head. That sentence confirmed all the little comments he made to himself about she seeming to have some sort of death wish.

" You know what? I'm done. " She said, standing up and leaving the room. Ignoring Tomas as he called her back.

He sat back down.

" Tony, you have known this for how long? " He asked.

" Since I found out she was my daughter. " He said.

" And how did you REALLY found out? " Asked Tomas, looking at him.

Tony took a deep breath.

" We found her in a HYDRA base. She had been caught trying to sneak in, beaten. The doctor taking care of the injuries of one of the Avengers looked her over and decided to try to find her DNA or a similar one on our records. Found me. " Tony really felt bad for the man, he looked so confused, hurt and worried it was definitely going to be hard for him to digest it all. " A former SHIELD agent who works for me, already had a file on her work. By the time I was warned, ULTRON had taken her already. "

" Because she was your daughter. " Said Tomas, it wasn't a question. " Who knows of her... activities? "

" The Avengers, a handful of people more. And you. " He said.

Tomas was looking at the table, hands opening and closing into fists. Breathing deeply.

" I promised George I would take care of her. And she's... " He said, rubbing his forehead.

" From what I'm learning that is a very hard promise to keep. She is very stubborn. "

" I know. " Said Tomas. " Dios mio, I know. " He took a deep breath. " Tell me everything you know about it. "

* * *

Bella was having a hard time breathing. Tomas was supposed to be safe. Ignorant and safe!

She couldn't save Spots, she couldn't save Tomas. It was like she was doomed to try and try and fail.

She needed an empty place, she needed to be alone because she was freaking out. Too much going on at once, and she was reaching her limit on what she could handle. Her heart beat was loud in her ears and despite taking air in and out, she didn't feel like she was actually breathing.

Alone. Alone. Alone. She needed to be alone.

She found the kitchen and after a few seconds she found a pantry. She got in and closed the door.

Small space, but not too much. Good. She sat on the floor, leaning against the shelves. Now, she had to keep herself from freaking out.

She started counting Pi.

3.14159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288 41971 69399 37510 58209 74944 59230 78164 06286 20899 86280 34825 34211 70679 82148 08651 32823 06647 09384 46095 50582 23172 53594 08128 48111 74502

Tomas now knew what she did, he was in danger. He wasn't just sitting back.

84102 70193 85211 05559 64462 29489 54930 38196 44288 10975 66593 34461 28475 64823 37867 83165 27120 19091 45648 56692 34603 48610 45432 66482 13393 60726 02491 41273 72458 70066 06315 58817 48815 20920 96282 92540 91715 36436 78925 90360 01133 05305 48820 46652 13841 46951 94151 16094 33057 27036 57595 91953 09218 61173 81932 61179 31051 18548 07446 23799 62749 56735 18857 52724 89122 79381 83011 94912

Spots was in the hospital. He was so close to being killed. She too. Tortured and killed.

98336 73362 44065 66430 86021 39494 63952 24737 19070 21798 60943 70277 05392 17176 29317 67523 84674 81846 76694 05132 00056 81271 45263 56082 77857 71342 75778 96091 73637 17872 14684 40901 22495 34301 46549 58537 10507 92279 68925 89235 42019 95611 21290 21960 86403 44181 59813 62977 47713 09960 51870 72113 49999 99837 29780 49951 05973 17328 16096 31859 50244 59455 34690 83026 42522 30825

Stark now had found her, again. She was in the middle of his stupid base with the billion cameras and AI. Why did it have to be Stark? Memories of her mother, drunk, depressed came to her. Memories of being told that a weapons manufacturer was her father. A man responsible for the death of thousands. Millions.

She spent hours in that pantry. Breathing and counting, thinking of all the things messing her mind, Thinking of how much time she was wasting there while she was needed outside, working.

She was tired, hurt and the caffeine kick she was on had passed, so she eventually fell asleep there.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Tony knew that she was still on the base, his security system made sure of it. He was just surprised when he found out that she was on the pantry.

" Let her be for a while. " Said Tomas. " You'll only get curses and a wise ass attitude if you talk to her now. "

" Let's just hope no one gets hungry. " He said.

But hours passed and Bella didn't get out of there, hours Tomas spent thinking. The man sat in the couch from the common room with a bottle of water that he didn't actually drink and stared at the coffee table.

Tony didn't feel like waiting anymore, so he opened the door of the pantry, seeing the sleeping girl on the floor.

He stopped for a moment, just looking. Even sleeping, she had a small frown on her face and her posture was stiff.

He approached slowly, he felt like the stupid kid who got too close to a sleeping snake because other kids dared him to.

" Bella. " He called, lowly, too low. " Bella. " He called again, a little louder. She closed her fist tighter and flinched, but it didn't look like she had woken up. He got a little closer and leaned down, placing his hand on her shoulder.

She jumped awake, he startled, moving back. She moved back too, pressing herself against the shelves and breathing hard, looking around the room with wide eyes.

When they stopped on him, there was nothing good in that expression.

" Not good to sleep on the hard floor. " He said.

" Done it before. " She said, standing up (her face in a pained frown) and getting out of the small room.

He turned around and followed. She saw Tomas and took the opposite path, avoiding the man completely.

Tony considered staying where he was, but he followed her.

When they finally reached the main entrance, she pushed the door, but it didn't open. She tried again, it didn't open again. Of course, FRIDAY had orders not to let Bella run away, not letting her out was step one.

She turned to him with an angry expression, breathing hard and hands in fists jammed in her pockets.

" Let me out. " She said.

" And let you run again? " He asked.

" So I'm a prisoner? " She asked.

" No, it's for your safety. " Said Tony.

" Like the people in that cave in Afghanistan were there for YOUR safety? " She asked, glaring at him then looking around and breathing harder.

That hit him hard. It really hurt him.

" That is not the same thing. " He said, in a harsh tone. A tone he didn't use lightly. " You shouldn't talk about things you know nothing about. "

" You shouldn't interfere with someone who has and wants nothing to do with you. " She retorted, in a low voice.

He thought he saw something in her eyes, before she sped away to probably find another exit.

" Why? " Asked Tony, turning around and, again, following her. " What is it about me that is so horrible? "

" I should get a list. " She said sharply.

" Please do! Because I'm tired, I'm just tired of running after you all the time and making sure you don't get yourself killed! " He said. " Worrying every minute of every day. "

" Then stop! " She said, turning to him. " Just stop! You act like the whole world should be thankful to be blessed with the 'gift' of your presence and attention, but newsflash, you're not all that! " She was yelling, and they most definitely not in a private place, two people were walking by and gave them odd looks. " You think people forgot your crimes? They didn't! "

" Can we yell at each other in a more private place? " He asked.

" No! "

She turned around and moved away. No way she was having the last word, he followed.

" Then tell me! " He said. " I can take it. What is it that makes you hate me so much? "

" You're a warmonger! The Merchant of Death. " She said. " Your life is made on the blood of millions of people! "

That comment hurt a lot too. She sure knew how to be as sharp and callous as she could. Went for the killing blow every time.

" I didn't know- "

" Exactly! " She turned to him, eyes teary but no tears actually falling. " You built weapons of mass destruction and acted like it was a freaking favor to the world. You created bombs that torn bodies to pieces and you gave no thought to the people they would kill and families they would destroy. You were just happy to see the numbers in your bank account and to go out to get drunk and sleep with someone you would not even remember in the morning! "

She got a little closer to him, yelling and gesturing wildly.

" You didn't care, because you didn't want to. " She said. " Protecting yourself behind a BS patriotic PR SHIT! While selling to both sides. "

" It wasn't me- " He tried to say, but she was on a roll and not letting him talk.

" It was YOUR name! " She hissed, interrupting him. " BIG letters on the side of the building and in every one of those weapons. STARK Industries. Every SINGLE ONE of those deaths are on your head! On your hands. On your blood! A curse you had to pass on, didn't you? "

If Tony was looking around, he would have seen Hill on the end of the hall telling someone who was approaching to go another way and telling FRIDAY to warn others to do the same. Then the woman walking away herself.

" Things like that, you can't just put on a fancy suit with a colorful paint job and hope it goes away. Things like that don't go away! " She continued, still yelling. " You were applauded and glorified for murder. "

He was honestly a little stunned, not being able to say anything. She paused a little, breathing hard and a few tears running down her face.

" You killed my dad. " She said, almost a whisper compared to the yelling she had done before. " STABW2767999000076652457667889008STRK. The serial number of the bomb that hit that market and killed him. Letters and numbers ring any bells? It should, it came out from one of your factories. He died because you were too busy partying to give a SHIT about what your company was doing. "

* * *

She hadn't said that out loud in a long time, she only said it once to her mother. She never imagined saying it again, but she had started putting it all out and now just couldn't stop. All those emotions messing with her head were too loud, she had to get rid of them.

" You killed my dad. " She repeated. " YOU. The fucking devil whose blood is on my veins! " She felt like her chest was on fire, like breathing was hard, but she couldn't stop. " And if he hadn't- If he was still alive, my mom wouldn't had ended up the way she did. She wouldn't have died too. " She took a deep breath, cursing the tears running down her face. " You DESTROYED my family. " She took even closer. " And now you want me to stand in your presence and be grateful about it? To listen to you? To take your 'protection'? "

She was one to hurt with words, always had been, but at that moment, she couldn't help herself, she spit in his face. He didn't even move, just closed his mouth tighter and closed his eyes.

" That's what I think of your 'protection'. " She said.

She turned around, walking away, to where she didn't know, she just had to be as far away from him as possible.

She didn't turn around to know if someone was following. She just wanted to be left alone.

That place was a freaking maze and despite the many glass windows and walls, it was still closing down on her, making her feel trapped and stealing the air from her lungs.

She eventually reached a large hangar with the planes from the Avengers. She immediately thought that something that big would easily break through the wall and let her out of there.

Before her emotionally driven legs and brain made her move towards the plane, she heard someone clear their throat.

She turned around fast, seeing Sam Wilson there.

" No need to rob the plane, I can get you out. " He said, with a small smile.

She had to get out of there, she didn't care if it was one of the Avengers letting her out.

She tried to calm her breathing, but couldn't, so she just nodded. When he turned around, she followed.

The first wave of fresh air was a relief, it didn't calm her completely, but it did help. It was good that Wilson wasn't standing very close.

It was annoying that he followed her as she kept walking, but at least he didn't say anything.

The base was already far behind them when her breath was normal again. She knew that she wasn't getting away from Wilson, she would never be able to outrun the man. But being away from Stark helped.

She remembered researching her dad's death, she remembered the endless hours of sitting in front of the computer, and she remembered that her mother didn't interrupt her, the woman locking herself in her bedroom. Alone in her room, Bella finally found the truth.

She was disgusted by what she found, she sent an email, but instead of an answer, all she got was an attack on her computer. All she could do was protect her identity, but all she found, all her files, were destroyed.

She was younger, she didn't know what she knew now. How to be paranoid. She lost everything.

She tried to get the files again, but once she reached the systems she had entered before, the files were gone.

A cover up.

She knew the truth, but could never prove it.

Bella shook the memories out of her head. She was just managing to get herself under control, she couldn't loose it again now.

She looked to the side, seeing Wilson looking rather peaceful as he easily followed her pace. She read about the man, but didn't look too deep into him. He didn't look to be so close to Stark, so why was he the guard now?

" Why are you here? " She asked, not stopping her walking.

" I'm an Avenger, it's easier to live here. Imagine the moving around if I had to come here, then go home, then here again. A mess. " He said, in a matter of fact tone.

" At least you have a sense humor. " She said. " I mean why are you the one guarding me now? "

" Cap asked me. " Said Sam.

" Why? " She asked.

" Because I am very well versed in people with problems. "

" So you decided to make Stark your next project? " She asked.

" You. "

" Not interested. "

" Figured. "

" So why are you going with Nanny America's request? " She asked.

He chuckled.

" Nanny America, gotta remember that. " He said. " Most of the people who really need help, never ask for it. "

" And yet you insist in interfering with things that have nothing to do with you. " She said.

" Yeah. " He said. " I do. " He didn't sound in the least apologetic.

" So if your on their side, why did you let me out? " She asked.

" Their side? " He asked. " I don't think there are any sides here. And you seemed to be feeling a little claustrophobic. "

She huffed, he didn't say anything else. She continued walking and tried to ignore him.

* * *

Tony looked at the spot where she used to be for a moment, before he felt his body again and raised his hand to wipe his face.

Now things made sense. They felt hopeless, but at least they made sense.

He knew that his weapons killed people, but it was different from being confronted by someone who suffered a loss because of them. It was different from knowing that all the bad things that ever happened to his daughter were originally his fault.

He felt movement near him, finally tearing his eyes away from the spot he last seen her angry and sad eyes. Sad eyes that had tears that were only there because of who he was.

" You okay? " Asked Hill, looking at him with a rare expression of worry.

" No. " He said. He wasn't even aware that, for the first time in a long time, he had answered that question honestly. " I... I need to check something, can you make sure there's someone looking-? "

" Got it. " Said Hill, sparing him from finishing that question.

" Thanks. "

He went straight to his room in the compound, there he would access his company's system.

He typed the number she told him. She even memorized the number. He didn't think he could forget that number either, not after learning what it meant.

He closed his eyes and begged for her to be wrong. When he opened them up, he saw that she wasn't. It was one of his. And one of the weapons he had marked as 'not found' when he was investigating all Stane had done.

He found it now.

He rubbed his face with both hands, leaning on the desk on his elbows.

" Damn. " Was all he could say.

God, he needed a drink.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Bella was feeling tired, she had been walking for a long time, awake for a long time, her muscles aching, the heavier weight of her vibranium limbs being obvious. Still, she continued. If she could, she would walk to Chicago. She wouldn't be able to (obviously), but for a moment she allowed herself the delusion.

" Planning to be a marathonist? " Asked Wilson, for the first time in a while reminding her that he was there still. " It's a lot of walking you're doing. "

" You too, if it bothers you, why don't you stop? " She asked.

" You know why. " He said. " You're a genius. "

She stopped for a moment, feeling the pain in her body.

" What are you waiting for? For me to get so tired, I would agree to head back? " She said. " I would rather sleep here on the side of the road. "

" Why? " Asked Sam. " Got anything against beds? "

" Against the ones bought with Stark's money. " She said.

He looked at her for a long time.

" If your beef is with Stark, why did you run from Tomas' place? " He asked.

She rolled her eyes, turning away from him and continuing to walk, now it was somehow harder than before that tiny break.

" I don't do 'sharing'. " She said.

" Why not? Makes you feel vulnerable? " Asked Sam.

That made her stop, but not turn to him. She was definitely NOT talking about that.

" You know what? Screw this. " She said, walking faster and ignoring her complaining body.

" You know is not going to get better if you just act like the problem isn't there. " He continued. She cursed her inability to outrun people.

" You not going away is a big proof of that. " She said. " I'm not in trouble or in need of rescue. "

" Says the girl who jumps into dangerous situations without a second thought. " Said the man.

" What's to you if I do? " She asked. " This and me is none of your business. "

" Right, because what you do is to you and you alone. Screw who gets hurt in the process. "

She stopped and turned to him.

" This is my shit, kindly take your shoes from it. " She said. She didn't like, she hated that Tomas didn't listen to her and just continued his life without her. She tried many times, but the man refused to budge. She didn't need one of Stark's minions talking about it to her. " You don't know what you're talking about. "

" Then explain it to me. " He said.

That man was infuriating with that calm expression of his. She turned away from him and continued walking.

" Why don't you fly home birdie? " She asked. " You're not getting any worms here. Tell Stark that I'm not falling for that. "

He didn't go away, he continued following her, but he didn't say anything else.

* * *

Wilson knew stubborn. He saw it in his private life, in his military life, in his VA life and in his Avengers life too.

But this girl was definitely getting the trophy. She was worse than her father. He could see that she was about to fall over from exhaustion, still she kept going. Determined to get as far as possible. To ignore him, to get him to give up on following her.

Steve was right, she definitely needed help.

The girl hated her father with a passion, a lot of passion. She wouldn't just take help from him or those she felt were connected to him. She didn't trust others easily. And the people she had some sort of connection to, she pushed away.

As they walked, he tried figuring out the best way to help her. If there was anyone else, he thought maybe going to some sort of support meeting would be of help, but that girl had heard all the sad stories, she had surrounded herself with death and misery and ignored everything else.

What she needed was someone who could show her the good things. But who? Tomas and his family tried, but she didn't listen.

He heard the sound of thunder and looked up to the dark clouds that announced the coming rain.

" We should get back. " He said. She didn't say anything neither she changed the direction she was walking to. " We'll get all wet. "

Nothing.

Great. He took out his phone, asking Hill to go get them a ride back. Or at least get them before the girl got all wet and caught a cold or something.

They continued walking and eventually it started to rain. She still didn't slow down, she just hugged herself to save heat and continued.

It didn't take long to the big black car reach them. The girl walked far, but not exactly fast, and Hill could have a heavy foot as a driver.

" Anyone wants a ride? " She asked, opening the window of the driver's side.

" Safe bet that the super fan would be the one to kidnap me in her car. " Said Bella.

" You're soaking wet, get in Bella. " Said Hill. Sam was waiting until the girl was in the car to get in himself.

" No. "

" You're smart enough to know that you're not getting away from us on foot. " Continued the woman.

" Don't care. "

" You're going to get sick. " Insisted Hill.

" Don't care. "

Sam was starting to think he was never getting off that rain. Hill drove very slowly next to them to keep up with their pace.

" I can get you coffee on the HQ. "

" Wow, the 'I have candy routine'? " Asked Bella, a taunting tone. " How very pervy of you Maria. "

" Like you didn't think of taking it. " Said the woman, taunting the girl back.

" The only way for me to get in that car, is if it's going to Chicago. " Said the girl.

" Fine. " Said Hill.

" Fine? " Asked Sam and Bella, surprised.

" Yeah, fine. " Said the woman, getting wet from talking to them with the window open.

" Not buying it. " Said Bella, turning to face the woman. Sam looking at her face and seeing she was shaking from cold.

" If you see you're going on the wrong direction, you can very dramatically jump out of the car. " Said Hill. " Like a kid throwing a tantrum. "

Bella smirked.

" I choose the music. " She said, moving to the car.

" Finally. " Said Sam, getting on the car too. " Hill, turn up the heat. "

* * *

She truly did try to fight off the tiredness that took her over, but she just couldn't keep her eyes open. Bella fell asleep and only woke up when a hand was on her shoulder.

She jumped up, startled, moving away form the hand and waving her hands at the direction of the person in a half asleep attempt to fight it off.

" We need gas. " Said Hill, making Bella realize where she was and what was happening. " Want something to eat? Or use the restroom? Now or never. "

She got out of the car, still raining, but they were protected by ceiling of the area of the gas pumps.

" Come on. " Said Wilson, walking towards the store. " I could kill for something to eat now. "

She was hungry, but didn't want to take their money. Fortunately, she was well versed in the fine art of pick pocketing and had a stash of cash on her sock. She could take a few candy bars. She was already taking a ride in a car payed by Stark, no way she was taking food from him.

And she really needed to pee too.

She decided to take care of the most urgent first and use the bathroom. Unfortunately the door of it could be seen from the gas pumps and the window was too small for a human being. Not that she was expecting to be able to get away with Super Fan and Birdie around.

After nature's call was answered, she went to the store, gave back the bathroom key and started looking around the isles. Birdie was at the door and Hill was paying for the gas, so she could only get a few small things without being noticed. Then she eventually got a huge bag of chips and went to the cashier.

" You can put that with mine. " Said Hill.

" No, you can't. " Said Bella. " I got my own money. "

" Fine. " Said Hill, probably thinking that it was better not to start arguing before they had to be locked in a car with the girl.

Bella took the money from her sock and payed for the bag of chips, walking out and going back to the car.

" I called the hospital. " Said Sam, once they were all the vehicle again and the car moving. " Your friend is awake, doctors are confident he'll be out of there fast. "

" I'll see that for myself when I get there. " She said. " Give your phone. "

" No. " Said Sam.

" I want to see how things are going with the police investigation. " She said.

" They got your message, Internal Affairs is looking into that detective. " Said Hill.

She huffed.

" Like they ever get things done without cashing in hundreds of over-time hours. " She said. " Give me your phone. "

" No. " Said Hill and Sam.

" Yes. "

" No. "

" Yes. "

" I'm not giving you access to my phone. " Said Hill.

" Sounds like you're worried what I might find, Maria. " Said Bella, raising an eyebrow. " No need to worry, I know you probably have all kinds of stalkerish stuff on it. Now gimme it. "

" Yes, I was really worried. " Said Maria, in a deadpan tone of voice. " Still not giving you my phone. There are a lot of classified data in there. "

" Ownn, so cute, you think I can't get to them without your phone. " Said Bella in a taunting tone. " Come on! I can get to them in the slowest internet cafe on the planet. I need your phone because I need to work now! And in case you didn't notice, you don't have a computer on the back seat. "

" No. " Said the woman.

" Why don't we talk to pass the time? " Asked Sam.

Bella rolled her eyes and groaned in pained annoyance, leaning back on her seat.

" Sure, let's. I'll start. My brain is turning to mush right now, because unlike most of the planet's population, I actually use it! I need to work! " She leaned forwards, looking at the man, who turned his face to her. " Give me your phone. " She added.

" Unlike Maria, I do have private things in my phone, I don't want anyone looking at them. " Said Sam.

She held his gaze for just a moment.

" Ew. " She said, serious. " Never heard that porn belongs beneath mattresses? Or under your bed? "

" It's not porn. " He said.

" Right. " She said, in a 'not believing you' tone as she leaned back. " Not sure I want it now. At least not without some disinfectant. "

" It's not porn! " He insisted.

" Whatever you say, man. " Said Bella. " Give your phone, Maria. "

" Not happening. "

" Ugh. " She groaned in annoyance, looking out the window.

" Why don't you eat your incredibly unhealthy snack? " Asked the woman.

" Don't wanna. " Said Bella. " What I want is... A phone! "

Both adults in the car sighed loudly. She smirked, and she knew that if she kept pushing she would win. No one could be as childish as her when she put her mind to it.

* * *

Tony was drunk. Not a little, a lot, he was really drunk. He really shouldn't be drinking so much, but after you start with one to make yourself feel better, you realize it will not be enough and keep going. A man like himself, who had a quite loose idea of his own limits, would not stop at the second, or the fourth, not even fifth.

" Well, this brings me back. "

Tony looked up from the liquid on his cup, taking a moment to recognize Rhodey's shape on the doorway of his room.

" Hey, Rhodey. " He said, frowning at the light that came from the hall. " Shut the door, will ya? "

The man took a moment, but he entered the room and closed the door, the light inside was very low, but it still allowed him to maneuver himself through the room to sit on the couch next to Tony.

" Why do you look worse after saving her from the serial killers, than you looked before you did? " He asked.

Tony took a gulp of his drink.

" Ever feel like, no matter how hard you work, all you do is screw up and make things worse? " Asked Tony.

" What are you talking about? " Asked Rhodes.

" Just... it's what I do. I destroy things. Even when I'm deliberately not trying to, I destroy them. " He said.

" I think you had enough of that, buddy. " Said his friend, taking the bottle from the coffee table and the cup from his hands.

" Want to know why she hates me? " Asked Tony.

" Because she is a girl who has gone through too much already, and she is hurting. " Said Rhodes. " She is in pain, so she is lashing out. "

" Nope. " Said Tony, leaning back on the couch. " She hates me because it's my fault her dad is dead. "

" You're her father, Tony. " Said Rhodes.

" I'm the biological father, yes. But George, her dad, daddy. My fault he is dead. " Said the billionaire. " My weapon, that came out of my factory, that I designed, that I didn't care for what it was being used for. That is the weapon that killed him. "

Rhodes placed the items in his hands on the coffee table.

" If he hadn't... her mother wouldn't have died, she wouldn't have been hospitalized, ran away... Literally everything that has happened to destroy her happiness, her life is my fault. "

" No, it isn't. " Said Rhodes.

Tony chuckled, without humor.

" I appreciate the effort, but I can see it just clear. "

" Yeah, it must be pretty clear through the booze haze you're in right now. " Said his friend. " Why don't you sober up, and then we talk about this? You're not in the right mindset. "

" There's no mindset, Rhodey. " Said Stark, standing up to fast and almost falling face first on the coffee table, Rhodey grabbing the back of his shirt on the last moment and keeping him up. " There's the truth! She said it and she was right. I should have cared sooner. "

Tony fell back on the couch.

" How many families did I destroy? " Asked Tony. " I know people died, but... I never truly allowed myself to think about it. There are people out there who lost EVERYTHING, because I made weapons and didn't bother to ask where they were going. Didn't stop thinking of just myself. "

Drinking hadn't helped, he still felt it, the weight of it, bringing him down. To corners of his mind that he didn't like going.

" You know, I have to be a special kind of bastard to screw up so royally with my kid, years before I even met her. "

" Tony, you can't blame yourself for all this. " Said Rhodes. " The man was a marine. He was deployed, it was war. It happens, it's sad but true. "

" My weapon- "

" If it wasn't yours it would have been someone else's. " Said Rhodes. " You made mistakes, yes, but you are not solely responsible for the fate of thousands of people. "

Tony took a moment just breathing.

" I'm dizzy. " He said.

" After an entire bottle, it's to be expected. " Said Rhodes.

" I think I need to throw up. "

" Trash can coming up, buddy. " Said Rhodes, the poor man had been the companion to more than a few drunk nights. He knew the drill too well.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Tony woke up accompanied by his very old friend, hangover. How he didn't miss this particular friend. It took a couple of hours for him to be semi-functional after waking up. Then he was mentally ready to interact with other people.

The first one was Tomas, who looked out the window of the common room as if the garden held the answers to all life's questions.

" Tommy, how is it going? " He asked.

" Oh, Hi. " Said the man, only now realizing he wasn't alone. " Fine, slept fine. Miss Hill, told me that she and Mr Wilson are taking Bella to Chicago, so she can see her friend, so I'm not freaking out about her just wandering off again. " He added with a fake smile. " I talked to Helena and I'll be following to meet them there, then go back home. If she'll come. " He added with a sigh.

" And the other stuff? " Asked Tony.

" Still digesting. Haven't told Helena, not over the phone. "

" Better this way. " Said Tony. " This stuff can't be repeated. "

Tomas took a long look at him, as if noticing something for the first time and frowning.

" You do know how Emma died, right? "

" Yeah, in a fire. " He said, not exactly knowing why the complete change of subject.

" Because she was drunk. " Said the man, looking at him with a serious face. " You might want to rethink how you cope with things. "

" Are you seriously telling me this right now? " Asked Tony, his tone getting a bit aggressive. " What I do isn't any of your business. "

" But what I do is yours? As if you don't keep track of all me and my family does? " Asked Tomas. " Let me tell you one thing, the reason I take care of Bella is not to do you a favor, so that you don't have to do it. It's because George was a brother to me. He and Emma asked me to take care of the only thing they loved more than themselves in case they died. And I won't break that promise. " He took one step closer to Tony. " That includes making sure she doesn't lose any else, despite any messy relationships she has with whoever it is. "

Tony remembered the words Bella said to him, the man in front of him had no idea that it was a Stark weapon that took George's life.

" I'm not any danger. " Said Tony. " I appreciate your concern over her, but you shouldn't judge my drinking habits when you barely know me. "

" I have to make sure. After all, here I am, raising your daughter, for you. "

" Because it's the best place for her. " Said Tony. " Are you having second thoughts about it? "

" Never, I said it already. I'll never break my promise to her parents. I love that girl as if she was mine. " Said Tomas. " And I had no idea she was targeted by hundreds of criminals worldwide. Forgive me for being 'bold' enough to want you not to make the same mistakes her mother did. You were not there when she died, I was and it wasn't pretty. "

" I don't have a problem. If I did, trust me, I wouldn't be anywhere near an Iron Man suit. " He said. " No one here would let me near one. "

That seemed to reassure Tomas, who nodded.

" So, want a ride to Chicago? " Asked Tony, completely changing the subject.

" Sure. " He said, not minding changing the subject either. " I want to meet this man who managed to be friends with Bella. Those are a rare breed. "

" I can imagine. " Said Tony, trying not to trace any parallels with his own life and the number of real friends he had compared to the number of people he knew.

* * *

Spots didn't look comfortable in the hospital, he might be more sociable than most of those who lived on the streets, but he didn't like to feel trapped, he didn't want to be in that place. He didn't like doctors, reason why he avoided them at all costs.

" Cyborg. " He said, surprised when she got in the room, fortunately Nanny Birdie and Super Fan knew she needed privacy and didn't go in with her.

" Hey Spots. " She said. " How are you doing? "

" I'm fine. Can leave already. "

" I don't think those doctors are willing to listen. " She said, moving closer and sitting on the chair next to the bed. " They always think that they know better. "

" Better than Cyborg? How dare they? " Asked the man, she smiled a little.

Bella could not stop looking at the bandages on him, counting them, imagining what were the injuries they hid.

" I'm sorry, Spots. I... saw them approaching, I tried to warn you- "

" Not your fault, kid. " Said the older man. " They were after me because I was onto them. "

" I know, I should have known they had someone on the cops. " She said. " And you got- "

A moment of silent passed as she found herself unable to finish her sentence.

" Told you a long time ago I make my own choices, I take the consequences of them. " Said the older man.

She remembered the night she was almost kidnapped, Spots and Tiny coming to her rescue and accidentally killing two men.

Her fault those deaths were over the head of two good men. No, not theirs, she reminded herself, her head. It was her fault.

She ran a hand under her hoodie, through her hair.

" Did they tell you about Bob? " She asked, remembering the dog whose presence was clearly missing from the side of his master.

The man licked his lips, nodding.

" I saw. " He said, tears coming to his eyes. " He was... a good friend. The best of friends. "

" His... body is- When you get out you'll be able to bury or cremate him. " She said.

The man nodded, wiping his eyes. That dog was his best friend, his only companion for years of cold nights on the streets and when crowds passed by him ignoring their presence. Bob was family.

" Okay. "

Another silent moment.

" I'll make sure these people never get out of prison, Spots. " She said. " All of them. "

" I know you will, Cyborg. " He said, nodding. " Look, I didn't want to ask them and make they look too deeply into you, but are you okay? They didn't hurt you too, did they? My memory is a little confuse on the last moments. "

" No, they didn't. " She said.

" Good. Good. " He said, nodding relieved. " I shouldn't have brought you into this, put you in danger. "

" You did the right thing, I was the one who screwed up. " She said. " And... I don't really deserve all this concern. I got a lot of blood of my hands. "

" I thought you were the one who said that no one deserves to be killed. That every life, no matter how criminal and evil, deserves to exist. " He said, quoting words she said a long time ago.

" I'm not telling you to kill me. " She said, with a small smirk. " Just not to waste your time worrying about me. It only ever brought you grief. "

" Most of the greatest friends people can have bring a lot of grief. " He said. " It's part of the charm. "

She had forgotten that he was a smart man, who could let go of his own problems and told people exactly what they were needing to hear.

" I guess that you won't be continuing on the road, cops found you. " He said. " And the Avengers? What is that about? "

" Nothing. And yes, they did find me. " She said. " It will take a while, but I'll shake them off. "

The man nodded, and she was thankful for him not telling her to be a 'good girl' and be home. He had his demons, he knew a lot of people who had them too. He knew that sometimes, people couldn't ignore them and be normal. He didn't tell her to run away and didn't tell her to be at home, whatever she said, he was cool with it.

" You take care, Spots. " She said.

" You too, Cyborg. " He said.

She had been very anxious to get there, but she didn't have much to say, she just wanted to see him with her own eyes and make sure he was fine. She felt responsible for him being there. There was also the fact that she wanted to leave the Avengers HQ, but mainly she felt responsible for ruining his life, again.

" Here. " She said, taking a couple of the stolen candy bars from her pocket and giving to him. " For when you need to bribe a nurse or something. "

" Thanks. " He said, smiling and taking the bars, hiding them under his blanket.

" See ya, Spots. " She said, standing up and looking at him in the eyes, something she didn't often do or to many people.

" See ya, Cyborg. " He said, with a little nod. " Anything you need. You can come to me. "

" I'll remember that. " She said.

A small silent moment, and she turned around, leaving the room.

She wanted to see him again, he was a good man, she could call him a friend. But now, after all this, she couldn't bare to burden him with her presence again. Not mentioning the fact that Stark knew who he was and if she ran again, with him would be one of the first places he would look.

" That was fast. " Said Hill, leaning against the door of the hall.

" Didn't have much to say. " Said Bella. " Do you know if the police let Tiny go already? "

" Not yet. " Said Hill. " Should be released tomorrow, because he punched a couple of police officers when they were trying to pin him down, after he got in the station with the dead dog bleeding all over him. "

" Bob. His name was Bob, not 'dead dog'. " Said Bella. " And the only reason Tiny punched them was because he was tackled! It was self defense! "

" When it's the cops, it's called assaulting a police officer. " Said Sam.

" One little punch, and they're feeling all mighty and 'sacred'. " She muttered. " Tiny is harmless, he shouldn't be in jail. "

After getting out of the hospital, instead of going to the police station, as she wanted, Maria drove them to a hotel, despite Bella being very vocal about her dislike, and they got one room for each, though she suspected Sam was just going to take a nap and then get back to the Avengers HQ.

Bella was very disappointed to find out that her room was in the middle from the other two. Since they were both trained and with experience in combat, she was sure no slipping away was possible. At least she did manage to lock herself in and avoid anymore social interactions.

She dropped herself in the bed, cursing how tired she still was. She cursed that, even feeling like she was being swallowed alive by the soft material under her, she couldn't help but to close her eyes.

* * *

Bella woke up and took a moment, just laying there, enjoying the fact that she wasn't in a place filled with cameras like the Avengers compound. Relief was short because she knew that Birdie and Super Fan were on the other rooms.

She felt her stomach complain, since she hadn't had anything to eat in ages, she hadn't opened anything she bought and stole from the store from the gas station.

But first she would take advantage of the clean water supply and take a shower. She got out of the bed, stretching and feeling the exhaustion in her bones.

Then she went to the bathroom, looking down immediately after being met with her reflection. Cursed hotels who seemed to have a contest of how much wall surface they could cover with mirrors without making it seem like you had been swallowed by a mirror ball.

She turned off the light of the bathroom, leaving the door open and using the light from the bedroom to be able to maneuver in the space.

She first answered the call of nature before stripping down and getting in the shower.

Hot water, that was rare. One of the many things she renounced in order to do what she had to do. She felt her muscles relaxing, andd she had to hold herself in order not to fall in there. Maybe the water was too hot, she was hungry, tired and started to get a bit dizzy.

She finished cleaning herself and stepped out of the shower, taking a huge robe from the motel that probably made her look like a kid from how big it was on her. She rubbed a towel on her hair, making the naturally messy mass of curls stand up in all directions, still wet. She got out of the dark bathroom and went to the bed, taking the bag of chips from the gas station with her.

She opened it and turned on the TV, finding the first news channel she could find and eating as she caught up with some of what she was missing around the world. It wasn't long until she felt like she couldn't eat anymore, and she folded the top of the bag to keep the rest of the food for later. It didn't matter if she was hungry or not, she couldn't eat a lot at once. A good thing on the streets, you can make what would be one meal last for several ones.

She laid back, watching the always depressing world news.

A few hours passed, and she heard a knock on the door. If it was somehow an emergency or fire, there would be an alarm. There wasn't any, so that meant social interaction, and she wasn't interested, so she ignored it.

The knock came again.

She looked up.

" Whoever it is, please go away. " She muttered to the ceiling.

" Bella, open up. " Came Maria's voice.

" Go away. I'm busy contemplating the universe. " She retorted, yelling back at the door.

" No you're not. "

" I'm taking a shower. "

" I don't hear water. "

" I'm on the toilet. "

A pause.

" Stop lying and open the door. "

" How does she know? " Bella muttered to herself, getting off the bed, Super Fan wasn't giving up.

" What do you want? " She asked, opening the door only enough to peek at the woman. She was wearing something else, she didn't look like the type to buy something because reusing clothes was 'gross', so the girl guessed the woman had spare clothes in her car.

" Tomas is five minutes away from here, we'll meet him downstairs, and he wants to have dinner with you. " Said the woman.

" Who are you, my assistant? " She asked. " Tell him my schedule is full. "

" Nice try. Go put your clothes back on and let's go. "

" I already ate. "

" Now Bella. "

" No. "

Hill took a deep breath.

" Alright, you'll just wait until he is here at your door. "

" Bye. " Said Bella, closing the door on Hill's face.

She went back to the bed, but her peace didn't last long.

" Bella. " Came Tomas' voice. " It's Tomas. "

Why didn't people give her peace? She just wanted peace and quiet. She got out of the bed, opening the door, letting him in and closing it after he got in.

" Super Fan told me you wanted to have dinner. " She said, going back to the bed. " I'm not hungry, you can go alone. "

" This is all you have eaten for the last how many days, pequeña? " Asked the man, picking up the bag of chips. " It's not even half-way eaten. "

" It's a really big bag of chips and I'm full. And I've eaten lots of times these last days. " She said, lying on the spot, it seemed she was always lying about that.

" Right. " He said. " Not sure I believe you. "

" Why would I lie? " She asked, looking at the TV.

" Because you don't like people bugging you about your eating habits. " He said, seating on the edge of her bed. " Which don't seem to have improved. "

" If I eat now, I'll throw up. " She said.

He sighed.

" Fine, don't eat, but come with me. " He said. " We can visit your friend in prison. "

" He's not my friend. " She said.

" You came here to see him and the one on the hospital. " He said, opening the chip bag and eating a few. " Why in the world would you want to see them in person? You who hates talking to people? "

" I'm very sociable! I talk. "

" No, you just keep going on and on with your motor mouth when you have already been ambushed and has no choice but to be some sort of sociable. " He said. " Your kind of sociable, at least. "

Damn, he knew her well.

" So you know that I want to be here. "

" And you want to see your friend. " He said. " Not to mention that the police has your backpack. With your computer. "

She knew that no one got in her computer, not with the kill switch she had placed on it. Which was a shame, she would have to start from scratch on her programs. It would take forever.

She did have to talk to Tiny. Had something to say to him.

" No eating, just seeing Tiny. "

" Alright. " He said. " I'll wait in the hall for you to change. "

* * *

She entered the police station and had to resist the urge to turn around and leave. Those people there were the ones who searched her prints and found her. Saving Spots of course, but also finding her.

The urge got stronger when she saw there was someone else there, Stark.

" What the FUCK is he doing here? " She asked Tomas, turning around to leave the room but stopping when she felt the hand on her shoulder.

" He gave me a ride. " Said Tomas.

" What is he doing HERE? " She asked again.

" Said there were some loose ends he would like to tie up here. " Said the man. " Can't blame him, knowing what I know now. "

She saw the tension in Tomas when he said that. Stark had no right to tell him what she had been doing, it would haunt him.

" Did you tell anyone? " She asked.

" No, not even Helena. " Said the man. " How could I explain this? It's so... " He shook his head, looking around. " We should see about finding your friend. You have to talk to one of the detectives later. "

" What? "

" You were kidnapped, Bella. They need a statement. " Said Tomas.

" Exactly. "

She turned around to see Stark there, his face serious, even a little nervous.

" Just follow the story I came up with and you'll be good. " He said lowly.

" Follow anything you say? " She asked, breathing hard.

He just stood there, like he hadn't killed George, like he didn't even care! Even after she told him.

" Unless you want them to start asking where that flash drive came from and what you were doing with that computer. " Said Stark. " Nobody wants that. "

He offered her a cellphone, text written on the screen. She read it without taking the device. She could read fast, really fast, a good thing when she was working reading reports from all over the world.

It was a transcript from what looked like his talk with a detective. About her and what he was doing there looking for her. From that, she could understand what cover he was creating for her. One that didn't include her as a cyber vigilante.

He took the cellphone back and put it in his pocket when he saw she wasn't going to take it and had already read it.

" Understood? " Asked Tony.

His help was the last thing she wanted. But really, she wasn't getting out of there without handcuffs if she didn't tell them the story.

" Not doing this because you told me to. " She said.

" Would never dare to think you are. " He said.

She walked around him, to find someone who could tell her where Tiny was.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The huge man was sitting on the chair of the interrogation room, looking at his hands with a frown. The beard hid most of his face, but she could see just enough from the frown to tell her that he was sad, scared, confused. Those idiots on the station still treating him like an animal wasn't helping either. Poor Tiny, no one could see past his massive size.

" Hey Tiny. " She said, entering the room.

" Cyborg! " He exclaimed, smiling and standing up.

She hated hugs, hated physical contact. But Tiny sometimes got too excited and forgot things. So he marched over to her and engulfed her in a hug.

" You're okay. " He said.

" Yes. " She said, tapping his shoulder. " You can let go now. "

" The bad people took you and Spots. They hurt Bob. "

" I know buddy. " She said. " You can give me some space now. " She added, he was hugging very hard, he had been worried and it was showing in how hard he held her.

" I told them. No one listens. "

" Tiny, buddy, getting hard to breathe here. " She said.

Finally, he let go.

" Sorry, Cyborg. "

" That's okay, who needs ribs? " She asked with a smirk and a chocked voice.

He chuckled.

" You okay, Tiny? " She asked, going to sit down, and he going back to his chair.

He nodded.

" Really? " She asked.

" They took my stuff. " He said, leaning forward and whispering. " They took my friend. "

" They'll all just jealous of your friend. " She said. " They'll give him back. "

For anyone listening that talk, it might have been weird, but Bella knew what the 'friend' was, a small toy she built for him before leaving Chicago the first time she met him. He was beyond upset about what he had done and the tiny metal object helped calm him down. She didn't even know why she had the idea of making the toy, she was just glad it had worked.

" Look, Tiny. I'm sorry, okay? " She said. " For you being so upset. "

He looked down at his hands, shaking his head.

" You're better now? " She asked.

He looked at her and leaned forward, whispering.

" I don't wanna be here. "

" I know, buddy. " She said. " They're letting you go, real soon. "

He nodded.

" They said they got the bad people. " He said.

" They did. "

" And our friends? " He asked, hopeful.

" Sorry buddy. " She said. " They're gone. "

He looked down at his hands, his face contorting as he tried not to cry, he leaning back and forth. It didn't take long for a loud sob to be heard.

" You know what? I'm getting you your friend, okay? " She said, standing up and going to the door. She was used to people's misery and pain, but she wasn't good at handling it face to face.

* * *

Tony felt bad for the huge guy in there, sure he was scary looking with those hands the size of shovels, but he was a big kid.

That's why he decided to go look for whatever the 'friend' was in the middle of Tiny's things. Maybe it was a real thing, and not imaginary.

Crumpled bills, some pennies, half-eaten food re wrapped, nothing interesting, he was wondering if this friend really existed, until he saw the tiny metal bunny.

It was a winding bunny, made of metal pieces that looked recycled from a watch and a small can opener motor. To be made with the materials it was made of, it was too well-made.

" That's not yours. " Came a voice behind him and the officer who was looking at what he was doing.

Bella was there, glaring at him.

" Did you make this? " He asked.

" Just get me it, so I can give it to him. " She said, walking over to him and grabbing the tiny toy from his hand.

" Were you the one to build it? " He asked, insisting on the question.

" Why do you care? " She asked, checking the metal bunny to see if it was intact.

" I asked because... it was a nice thing to do. " He said.

" Whatever. " She said, turning around and moving to the door. " Just wanted him to stop freaking out on me. "

" Yeah, right. " He said, as he followed her out the room.

She got in the interrogation room again, closing the door behind her, he went to the viewing room.

" He's... interesting. " Said Tomas, as he walked in.

" Like a ginormous kid. " He added.

" Yeah. " Agreed Tomas, seeing the man take the tiny metal toy eagerly and wind it. The bunny hopping and moving its ears on the table. " She made that, didn't she? "

" I think so, why? " Asked Tony.

" Bunny. Wasn't that hard to guess. " Said Tomas. " When she was four to five, she was obsessed with them. George and Emma started calling her bunny. Because she wouldn't put on anything, that didn't have at least bunny ears on it. Emma had to draw them on all the pairs of underwear Bella had. Or she would go commando. "

" Really? " Asked Tony, surprised. He had been so focused on who Bella became, because of all the tragedies in her life, he never thought of the girl she had been. She wasn't just a genius with issues, she had been a little kid.

A little kid who apparently loved bunnies.

" Yes. George and I, we were deployed once, and he got his usual mail from Emma, telling him that she had found Bella completely naked on their neighbors' bird fountain once. Apparently she didn't like that the bunny she drew on her dress had rubbed off. " Said Tomas, smiling at the memory. " Emma had to chase the girl around the yard, because she refused to go inside or get dressed. Screaming 'Freedom!'. She was four at the time. "

He couldn't help it, he laughed at that.

" Stubborn from the beginning, huh? "

" Oh yes. You have no idea. " Said Tomas. " Once, at Roberta's birthday, Bella locked herself in our garage, because it was more fun there than outside with 'the creepy liar'. "

" Creepy liar? "

" Magician I hired. " Explained the military man. " Apparently to call such 'obvious tricks', 'magic' was offensive to her intelligence. So she went to find something fun to do. "

Tony looked back at the girl in the interrogation room, looking at the small toy along with Tiny. The little movements calming the crying man.

" We tried opening the gate, but she had messed with the motor. Took us over an hour to force the thing open and by that time, my car's engine was half dismantled. "

Tony laughed harder. That sounded like something he would do. Actually once he had dismantled the engine of one of his father's cars.

" In the end, to put it back together me and George had to ask her help. To know where each piece went. " Said Tomas, shaking his head in amusement, but there was a longing in his eyes, as if he missed those times. " She only agreed to it if Emma diminished her time grounded by half. In the end, she didn't even get punished. Emma tried to put limits on her, but one look at those adorable little eyes, or that face that always seemed to be dirty with motor oil or something... she just couldn't stay mad. "

" They really do sound like they were amazing parents. " He said, looking at the girl with a new look.

" The best. " Said Tomas. " What seems to make all of this, even worse. "

Inside the interrogation room, Tiny seemed to be better, no longer crying and just paying attention to the mechanical bunny in front of him.

" What are we going to do now? " Asked Tony, lowly. " Staying with you is not working. "

" Wish I knew. " Said Tomas. " Can't seem to get through to her. Truth is, it's been years since I last could REALLY reach her. And now... " The man sighed, lowering his voice. " It's like she's deeper down than I ever thought she could go. " The man was practically whispering now. " Want to know what she said to me the last time I brought her home? That she didn't care. I was talking about all the things that could hurt her, could kill her, and she just said ' I don't care'. "

" Just that? I don't care? " He asked, using the same low tone.

" Can you imagine? Being fifteen and having this many axes ready to cut your head off? " Asked Tomas. " How can you save someone who doesn't want to be saved? "

Tony didn't have an answer to that.

* * *

After about ten minutes of just letting Tiny calm down, she was ready to cut that meeting short. He was fine and would be fine.

" Look, Tiny, I'm glad you're okay. "

" Cyborg is leaving again? " He asked, taking the mechanical bunny from the table.

" Yeah. I am. " She said. " You bee good, okay? Take care. "

He nodded.

" Cyborg is always watching. " He said.

" Damn straight. " She said, smirking.

" I like when Cyborg is here. " He said, holding the toy as a tiny live critter.

" I know, I am very likable and my presence is a gift. " She said, making him chuckle. " Now, be good. I'll see yah. " She added, standing up.

" Be good, Cyborg. " He said, looking up at her with a tiny smile.

" Always. " She said, taking a last look at him. " Bye, Tiny. "

" Bye. " He said, then focusing back on the toy in his hands.

She closed the door of the interrogation room behind her, taking a breath. Tiny would be fine. Spots would be fine. Her mistakes didn't have horrific consequences.

" Better now? "

She looked back to see Tomas coming out of the viewing room, along with the spawn of evil himself, Stark.

" You two get your freaks on by spying on other people talking? " She asked, not liking that they had watched her. She knew people would be watching, but not them.

" Bella! " Exclaimed Tomas.

" You were the one spying on me, with him of all people! " She said, lowly so that cops didn't start wondering about her connection to the billionaire.

" I was just worried. And I wanted to meet your friend. " He said. " And I don't like you saying those things to me, specially in that tone. "

She could argue, but if she did, she would say things that would REALLY hurt the already upset man. So she just turned around and started walking away.

" Wait up, you're going to get something to eat with me. " Said Tomas.

" Still not hungry. "

" Then you'll sit and watch me eat. " He said, already next to her.

" Wow, you're not worried about me having this much fun? " She asked in a sarcastic tone.

" Not really. "

She looked back and was happy that Stark was not following them, but talking on his phone, still near the interrogation room door.

She wanted to be alone, but no way Tomas was going to let that happen now, so she just hoped he wasn't in a talking mood.

* * *

Tony knew that the man in there was not his responsibility, but still he felt like he had to do something. He should be in a place where people could take care of him, where he would have a clean bed and guaranteed meals. Not to mention would be out of danger, Bella, as far as he could tell, had only two friends, he had to make sure they stayed alive.

He called his assistant and had the woman look into options. For Tiny and Spots.

Then he went to the hotel, he had gotten a suite there for himself. Tomas would make sure the girl would be safe for the time being.

Once he was in his room, he took out his phone again, calling someone he desperately needed to talk to.

" Tony. Hill called me, she said Bella is safe. " Came the voice.

" Hey Pep. " He greeted, relieved. " Yeah, I got her, for now she's safe. "

" Did you talk to her? "

" A little. "

" And? "

" She hates me and I don't blame her for it. " He said.

" What? Tony- "

" Just... talk to me about your day, okay? " He asked, trying not to sound as begging.

A pause.

" I had three meetings. " She said. " And yes, it was as boring as it sounds. "

He laid back on the bed, listening to her voice, eventually he would talk about his day, what he was going through, but for now, he was just listening.

After one hour of conversation, she asked him something that he hadn't expected to hear.

" Do you think I should... meet her? " She asked.

He didn't know, he truly didn't.

" I have no idea. If you want to, please be my guest. " He said. " Just don't expect a warm welcome. A bitter one, a truly bitter one is more like it. "

" Well, I'm used to you. I think I'll be fine. " She said. " I think I should do it, unless you don't want me to. "

" No, I have no problem with it. " He said. " I mean, she knows who you are. "

" Okay. " Said Pepper.

The silent moment that came after reminded him of the time where they didn't have those awkward moments between them.

" I should go. " Said Pepper. " Lot's to do. "

" Right. " He said.

" Bye. "

" Bye. "

The call ended, and he laid on the bed, starring at the ceiling for a while, then turning on the TV. Changing channels until he found something he could fall asleep watching.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Bella felt like her heart was about to explode, so fast it was beating. Being on the hot seat with the cops asking about her was not her idea of fun. It was the opposite really. She hated being the center of attention, hence how she was so successful in her cyber vigilante career, she didn't want her name to be known, even her nickname 'Robin Hood', was given by the authorities, not herself.

Now, here she was in front of a cop who knew she was good with computers, that she was around this serial killer thing and that Tony Stark somehow was connected to her.

Fortunately, she had a somewhat convincing story. She hoped. She would be fine.

If only they stopped asking her questions!

" Are we done here? Or do you want to bask in my gracious presence a little more? " She asked, more than annoyed. " I answered all your questions. You know who did this. I told you what happened. Why am I STILL here? "

" Miss Allan, only a few more questions. " Asked the man.

" No. "

" Bella- "

" No, Uncle Tom! I'm done. " She said, standing up. " I talked about all that happened. You have these bastards arrested. You didn't do a DAMNED thing while those monsters were butchering and killing people. Now you think that what? Keeping me talking about being kidnapped by those bastards will make it up for not wanting to get YOUR ASSES OUT FROM YOUR CHAIRS TO LOOK INTO PEOPLE WHO WERE BEING MURDERED? You couldn't be bothered to give a damn about them and now, I can't be bothered about your fucking questions! " She stalked out towards the door of the room opening it and slamming it behind her.

She didn't stop walking until she got out of the station, breathing hard and trying to feel like she wasn't being watched by the world. Eventually Tomas appeared by her side, walking along with her until she stopped in a street corner, breathing a little better.

" You're okay? " He asked, not getting too close, he had learned from experience that it was better not to suffocate her too much when she got like that.

" Always. " She said. " Just annoyed at the guy. "

" Sure? " He asked.

" I'm fine. " She said, rubbing her face with her hands in a way that didn't get the hoodie of her head.

" How about we go to a quiet place? " He said, of course he didn't buy her 'I'm fine' answer.

" Finally. " She said, grateful on the inside. Really grateful.

They got back to the hotel, she just sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard and turned on the TV. She wasn't really interested in what was on, but she didn't want to talk and the staring at the TV would make Tomas think she was kind of busy. Or distract the man himself.

She stopped on a news channel. She had to enjoy feeling like crap to put on a show she knew would upset her when she was trying to calm down.

* * *

Tomas wasn't a genius, he considered himself a smart man, but he wasn't anything out of the ordinary. There were days he was jealous, when he saw the absolutely amazing things Bella could do, how she looked at a toaster and saw possibilities, not just crisp bread.

There were other days however, that he was very thankful for it. Geniuses had... issues. Social ones being at the top of the list.

Bella wasn't 'fine', he could see that clearly, she was feeling overwhelmed and it wasn't going away anytime soon if she wasn't able to be alone and decompress from the 'social interacting', not to mention that all the things the cops asked about were traumatic experiences.

He didn't try to talk to her when they got back to her room, he just sat on the chair close to the window and let her have as much space as possible in the small room.

He wasn't one for watching the news, but she seemed to be paying attention, so he didn't ask for her to change the channel, and eventually more lighthearted news came, and he liked those. Helena always teased him about how he liked the 'dog skaters' and 'record-breaking giant foods'.

But there was only so much he could take before he had to stand up and talk about things that needed to be talked about.

He was happy that his text message was answered so fast. Apparently Stark wanted to talk to him too.

" I'll be right back. " He said, standing up and going to the door, pausing with his hand on the doorknob." Do you want anything? "

Silence was all the answer he got, but maybe he should bring her back some sort of vitamin drink, just to start making up for the meals she was refusing to eat.

He left the room, closing the door behind him and following Tony's text instructions and went to the top floor, where he got in the fanciest hotel room he had ever seen.

He shouldn't be surprised, but really, money like that would always get to him a little. He came from the kind of family that was happy when he got in the military, because it was a stable paycheck.

" Tommy. " Greeted Tony, sitting on the couch and drinking a green juice, a tray with a meal in the coffee table in front of him. Burger and fries. He had Bella's taste for crappy food, or she had his. " Want some fries? "

" No thanks. " He said. " I try to eat healthy or Helena will kill me. "

" Good choice. " Said Tony. " I should make them too. I can call for something else- "

" I'm fine. " He said, moving to the other couch and sitting down. " So... "

" Yes, straight to business. " Said Tony, placing the juice down and leaning back. " I think it's safe to say the first arrangement it's not working. "

" Understatement. " He said. " Tony, I am still trying to wrap my head around the whole ' cyber vigilante' thing. I... don't think I'll ever be able to sleep in peace again knowing what's out there for her. I just want to make sure she won't run again to go after these guys. I want her to be safe, I'll do what needs to be done, but... I don't know what that is. "

" Thing is... I don't know what that is either. " Said Tony. " If she has as much of me as she seems to, the more we try to stop her, the more she'll want to do it. "

" Then what? "

" I tried to make your family's house as safe as possible, while still being your house. " Said Tony. " I think... we need to either make a serious remodeling to it, which would change your routine and your life style- "

" I can't do that, they have a hard time dealing with Bella as it is. " He said, his kids had their lives and he couldn't force them to change them. Not this much. It wasn't fair.

" Or... " Said Tony, not appearing surprised at his answer. " She moves to a place that already has such security measures and the people there are used to them. "

" So... " He said slowly, figuring out what it meant. " She would no longer live with me, I wouldn't be her legal guardian? "

Tony ran a hand down over his face, leaning forward, arms rested on his thighs.

" I don't see another option. "

" So... you'll be her guardian? " He asked.

" On paper. " He said. " She'll be living in one of my properties and with a lot of people around who can keep an eye on her. She'll be safe. "

" Who are these people? She needs people who care about her, not just guards. " Asked Tomas, leaning forward, worried.

" Trust me, Cap may look like a guard, but he's all mush. Vision likes her. And Hill has a snarky relationship with her, but I think that's how she shows she cares. " He said. " And she doesn't seem to despise them. Not to mention you'll be able to visit all the time if you want and your family will still be safe and looked af- "

" I can take care of my family. " He said. " Helena and I may not have much, but we are able to raise our kids. The complicated part of this is Bella. If she will be safe. If she will have people who can not just protect her, but care for her, help her, because she needs help. "

" Sam worked in the VA, he has experience with giving help. " Said Tony. " And he already knows about the things she did and will die before even thinking out loud about that stuff around other people. "

Tomas wasn't liking what he was hearing. How was he supposed to make sure she was alright, if he wasn't around? But she seemed hell-bent on not staying around, his way wasn't working. Maybe her father, her biological father, would be better at keeping an eye on her. They were very similar, after all.

" She would be in the Avenger's HQ? " He asked, sounding unsure.

" Yeah. "

" Where people work on the exact same thing we are trying to keep her from doing? "

Tony paused for a second.

" Technically. But they are more than able to keep her out of it. " Said Tony.

" And they are willing to do this? " Asked Tomas. " Or you didn't ask? Because Bella has the habit of not asking for things and just doing them with blind faith she'll get away with it. "

A minuscule smirk appeared on the billionaire's face.

" I... talked to Vision. Hill too. " Answered Tony. " They agreed. "

Tomas looked down at his hands, thinking.

" I... need to think. " He said. " Talk to my wife. She has an act for seeing what I can't. "

" Yeah. I know the type. "

* * *

Bella should be worried about Tomas' 'be right back'. He was up to something. But she was finally alone and that meant some peace. She turned off the TV and laid on the bed.

She felt like her world was crumbling around her. It didn't matter what she did, people kept taking her control over things. She wasn't used to not controlling things.

Control for her, meant control over her own actions. On the streets, it was impossible to know everything that would happen next, but she could control her own actions. She could control if she stayed or left. If she did nothing or acted. With the exception of times she was literally tied down, of course.

Now, with Stark knowing of her, it was like he was tying her hands more and more. Taking her choices and chocking her in the walls he was building around her.

She wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that someone was doing it, or that HE was the one doing it.

Just the sight of him reminded her of all she lost. It made her so angry. Angry for being so broken and sad. Sad to the level of like every minute she wasn't crying over her parents was a betrayal.

She struggled to keep her eyes dry.

Damn emotional and physical toll that she went through for making it so hard not to start crying. Damn her perfect memory for remembering her family so well, remembering how it felt like to be completely and utterly accepted, loved. How it felt to be safe.

How it felt to have it all tore it away.

She turned to be on her side, away from the window and closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep. To sleep and not dream. Her mind was going over years of memories in its own incredible, sometimes almost unbearable, speed, and she needed a break.

Too bad she didn't have her pain killers, they helped her sleep. But the new doctors that Stark payed for deemed them unnecessary after she 'grew' a new arm and leg. She cursed them for it, said they didn't know what they were talking about. But they were relentless. So was Tomas.

On the streets was the only time she managed to get them.

She stood up, looking around and idea in her mind.

This was a fancy hotel, so things weren't chained down to the wall. She ran all over the room, collecting all she could find that she could slip inside her pockets. Which were the remote, the fancy pen, fancy notepad with the leather cover, the bible and the surprisingly small hairdryer.

It was not much, but it would give her something. And she was desperate for a dreamless sleep.

Sometimes, she got like that, it was like her body was telling her she was about to breakdown, she could feel the fear in her veins as her mind approached the dark pit of grief she knew she would fall in.

She left her room, making sure she didn't have any of the stolen items in sight or too obvious in her pockets. And went to the elevator. She knew people were watching her and knew that there was no way she was going to run away, specially because she didn't have any money.

She was proven right when the elevator doors opened and a figure dressed in a dark suit stood up from the armchair near the reception desk.

Fancy suit, lots of muscles. Just like the other two Stark posted across from the Perez's home.

She payed the man no mind, she just left and continued walking, with him following. He would tell Stark what she did, but by then, she would be, hopefully, very deeply 'not dreaming'. She wondered if there was some sort of body guard company with stations all over the US that sent them out on demand, for him to have it set up so fast.

She continued walking, a long way until she found a store that would buy her items. The tricky thing would be selling them without 'Muscle wall' scarring people.

The older woman on the store gave the body guard a look and a serious frown to her.

" What do you want? "

" To sell these. " Bella answered quickly, taking the things from her pockets.

The woman knew stolen goods when she saw them, half her store was filled with them. She looked back at the bodyguard.

" He's here just to look tough, nothing more. You have nothing to worry about. " Assured Bella, but speaking in a tone that only the woman would hear.

The woman looked down at the items, them at Bella, a small smirk flashing in her features before disappearing.

" Five dollars. "

" The dryer is worth more than that, it's not crap, it's actually new and functional. "

" Then return it to the store and get your money back. " Retorted the woman, smirking.

A beep called Bella's attention. A computer on the back showing a message of error.

" Seven for this stuff and another forty if I fix your computer. " She said, an idea quickly coming to her.

" Yeah, what will you do? " Asked the woman, scoffing.

" Fix it, I'm good at it. " Said Bella. " Unless you want to lose all the years of online chatting with your boyfriend from Canada that you have on that. Or do you have something of actual interest? "

The woman hesitated, making Bella lose her patience. She walked around the counter and moved to the ancient device on the messy and cluttered desk. She wasn't even down on the chair and her fingers were already moving quickly through the keys.

" Hey! What the hel- " The woman cut her self in her rant seeing the screen changing fast. Her computer probably never did anything that fast since she bought it.

" You can start counting my money. " Said Bella, not looking away from the screen.

It took a while to find all the corrupted files on the machine and delete them, then restoring the system to a functional state. Seriously, this woman had to be opening all the spam mail she got to have that many viruses on her machine.

When she was done, she turned to the woman.

" My money. " She said, stretching out her hand.

The woman looked torn between happy for having a decent computer again and angry at Bella's personality. But she payed anyway.

" Get out. " She said, the second the money changed hands.

" Don't mind if I do. " Said Bella, with a smirk, leaving and being followed by her new shadow.

Now the matter was, where to get prescription medication without risking the body guard stopping the illegal transaction.

Buying on a store wouldn't work because she didn't have a doctor's note and no time to make one. A dealer on the street would be too obvious and 'wall of muscles' would not allow her near.

That left her with one idea, a risky one, but she would have to try it. She had spent a while on Chicago, and she had an idea of a few homeless people who had a substance problem and where they would most likely go to get free meals.

She was sure she could buy some there. If they would sell, with the giant in a suit following her. How annoying it was having him following her. At least he was silent, maybe even mute.

After some walking, she realized she was right, the junkies tensed when they saw the bodyguards. She also realized that she was hungry, so she decided to kill two birds with one stone. The bodyguard wasn't so near to her, so she took a tray, got food and sat next to one of the junkies, a teenage girl who was about 19 but had the face of a 29-year-old.

" I got money. Got something I might want? " Asked Bella, keeping her voice low. She wasn't worried about the girl thinking it was some sort of trap because she looked too young to be a cop, and she was seen on the area before.

" Didn't know you bought this stuff. " Said the girl, low too.

" You do now. "

The girl placed her hand on her pocket. Bella eating a little of the beans. She wasn't going to eat all the absurd amount of food she had, but she would taste a little of everything. The older teenager took out a plastic bag with a few pills, as Bella suspected they were the kind she needed.

" I got this. " She said.

" I want eight. " Said Bella. Taking the money from her pocket and slipping into the girl's hand, all under the table. " You can even keep the rest of my food too. "

" I want the bun. "

Said the older girl, her eyes on the money and passing the plastic bag to Bella, who took out the amount of pills she bought, wrapping them inside a napkin and putting them in her pocket.

She ate for a few more minutes, them pushed the tray to the other girl.

" Enjoy. " She said, receiving a nod.

Bella stood up, her hand around the napkin in her pocket and walked out of there. She had a lot of walking to do until she reached the hotel.

When she got there, the bodyguard remained where she first found him, she got in the elevator, then in her room, took three of the pills, put the others in her pocket, laid down on the bed and fell asleep.

A blessed dreamless sleep.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Waking up was hard for Bella, the deep dark place she was in, didn't seem to want to let her go. But eventually she had to wake up.

She was surprised to see that her shoes and socks were off her feet, on the ground. And there was a blanket over her. She usually woke up at the smallest of movements around her, someone had done that, and she didn't even notice it. The dosage of the pills may have been a little too much, even if they had given her what she wanted, rest without dream.

She sat up, feeling the bad taste in her mouth that came with a long sleep. Looking around the room, she saw a pile of clothes on the chair by the table. She stood up and walked over to them, new, tags still on them.

New clothes, she didn't even think about it. She should have, now that she had been found again, but some of these things she didn't think about. Tomas apparently didn't forget those details.

Well, might as well. She took the clothes and took them to the bathroom, keeping the door open again so that she didn't have to turn on the lights and see her reflection on the mirror.

She answered nature's call, took a shower and put on the new clothes, cursing herself when she noticed the lack of a glove for her left arm and of a hoodie. The clothes were too right as well, like her actual size instead of the oversized ones she usually wore.

" Damn it, Uncle Tom. " She said, looking at her now too skinny legs, there was no bulk of fabric, and she felt naked. She shook her head, taking her hoodie and glove from the pile of clothes she had by the sink, putting them on.

She felt a little better now that her oddly colored skin was covered and her scarred face was out of sight. The smell of the hoodie was competing with the soap she had used, but she didn't mind. At least her skinny torso was now out of sight, even if the huge hoodie made her legs look like they belong to someone a lot younger. Oh well, she did always was shorter than other people her age.

She put on the new socks and was about to put on her old shoes when she noticed the new pair of light blue with little bunnies converses next to the table.

She walked over and took them in her hands, sitting on the ground. A memory coming to her mind.

 _" No! " Exclaimed the little girl, arms folded in front of herself and an exaggerated frown. Standing in her bed in her underwear as her mother tried to get her to put on a dress._

 _" Bunny, darling, you can't go out naked. " Said her mother._

 _" I want bunnies. " Said the girl._

 _" Darling, since you got this dress, you never wore it. "_

 _" Bunnies! " Said the girl, jumping up and down on the bed._

 _" Lord help me with your one track mind. " Said her mind with a side smile, then looking at her wristwatch. " We're going to be late. Go grab your markers. "_

 _" Yay! " Exclaimed the girl, jumping to the ground and almost giving her mother a small heart attack thinking that she would fall face flat on the floor._

 _The little girl grabbed a box of markers as her mother placed the dress on the bed._

 _" Two hands? " Asked her mother as she got back._

 _" Okay. " Said the girl, taking a purple marker, her favorite color, as her mother took the pink one._

 _The little girl and the woman started drawing little bunnies and bunny ears in front of the dress, until the girl said that it was good enough for her to wear it._

Bella ran a finger over the little white bunnies wearing sun hats on the shoe. As usual for when she thought about her childhood, she felt a wave of pain over her, pain of loss. It's why she never allowed herself to think too much about it.

She put on the converses on, taking one last look at them before getting off the ground and moving to the spot the bag with the rest of the chips was, opening it and eating the rest of it, there was less than she remembered, so Tomas must have eaten a little of it.

She was sitting on the bed with the empty bag when the door opened and Tomas walked in.

" Hey, you're back to the land of the living. " He said. " Why are you wearing that? I brought new clothes. "

" You forgot a few pieces. " She said, without actually saying what those were, he probably knew anyway.

" Oh, right. " He said, figuring it out. " You ate too. "

" Yeah. " She said. " So, what now? Are we waiting a little more or are going back to your house already? "

" We need to talk. "

" Oh, that's always good. " She said, with sarcasm.

" Well, that's not really on me, is it? " He asked, with an 'you know what you did' look. " Come on, get up. "

" Why? "

" There's someone missing from this talk. "

* * *

Tony wasn't very happy that Bella had left the hotel the second Tomas looked away, but he was glad that he already had a bodyguard waiting for her on the lobby.

Tomas went out for a walk, to clear his head and think, so he wasn't there when Tony got a call from the bodyguard telling him what Bella was up to on the street. The man said suspicious, Tony had other words, controlled substances.

He wasn't surprised really, she had been on prescription painkillers for a long time, to help with the ghost pains she had. According to the doctors they were gone after her body got used to the new nerves Cho's machine printed, but a body didn't forget the effects of those drugs.

He had taken such painkillers after Afghanistan, the best sleep he ever had, just lights out and rest. Sometimes he took them when he just knew he would have nightmares at night.

He would just have to add the pills to the list of problems he had to look out for with Bella.

He called his assistant and had her call local stores in Chicago and order clothes for the girl, FRIDAY providing with the measurements. He only added a detail, he made sure she got something with bunnies on it.

When Tomas got back, the clothes had already been delivered to the front desk, and he would take to the room. Bella would think the man was the one who bought it, so hopefully would have no problems taking them.

Tony spent his time working on his personal computer in the hotel room. He did have a lot of documents to read and was also able to work on his designs on it too.

The hours passed without him noticing, and he barely was able to get a few hours of sleep before the morning.

He still had a few hours of work before Bella woke up, early in the afternoon. Then the talk with the girl just couldn't be avoided anymore.

He didn't know how Tomas did to convince Bella to go to his hotel room, but there she was, with the new clothes, but also with the old dirty hoodie and glove. Maybe he should have asked his assistant to get new of those too.

She didn't look at him, just stood by the door with her hands in her pockets.

" We're loosing daylight, pequeña. " Said Tomas. " Butt on the couch. "

Her face was partially covered by the hoodie, but the motion of the head told Tony that she rolled her eyes at that. But she did move to the couch and sat down.

Tony had to ask for a few tips from Tomas, he had a great way with this 'parenting' thing.

Tomas sat next to her, Tony was sitting on the couch in front of them.

" So... Tony and I have been talking. " Said Tomas, cautiously. " And we have come to the conclusion that for the future, for the time being, it would be best if you were living someplace else. "

" What? " She asked, looking between the two of them.

" Doesn't matter what we do, my house is not safe enough for you. " Said the military man.

" That's why you'll be living in the Avenger HQ. " Said Tony.

Bella turned to him with a surprised expression, that turned to anger.

" What's your game here? " She asked.

" Keeping you safe. "

She scoffed, shaking her head.

" No. "

" It's not a negotiation. " He said.

" Tony and I already talked, Bella. "

" And after all that talk about we being family. " She said to Tomas, turning to him, her hands off her pockets and in fists on top of her knees.

" It's why we're family that I am doing what is best for you. " Said Tomas. " Between respecting your wish to get yourself killed and keeping you safe, I choose the latter. "

" Hill and Vision would be 'in charge' of you. " Said Tony, before she had the chance to say anything else.

" And a billion cameras. " She added. " You have no right to keep me in a prison. "

" Well, the law says different. "

" Law-? " She cut herself, short, leaning forward and rubbing her face. " You didn't. "

" I did. " He answered. " For now on, legally, you are my daughter. "

He expected yelling, cursing, name-calling, maybe even spitting again. Not her taking a deep breath and getting off the couch as fast as her legs could move her, running to the door and getting out.

Tomas followed.

Tony didn't move for a moment.

" That could have been worse. "

* * *

She could hear her heart beat, so loud she thought it was about to burst in her chest. She tried to breathe, but air didn't reach her lungs. Dizziness made the edge of her sight blur.

Her legs carried her as fast as they could, and she eventually tumbled down, falling face down on the stairs. Pain spreading from her nose. A pair of hands helped herup, andd she took a little while to realize it was Tomas.

He was talking, but the pumping of her heart and the ringing in her ears made her unable to understand him. Her vision blurred and wetness came down her eyes, her nose too.

When Tomas took a napkin from his back pocket and brought it to her face, the red on it when it came off told her that her nose was bleeding.

She didn't know why she was like this. She had to be angry, not freaking out. But she couldn't even figure out why she wasn't, not with her heart beating as fast as it was right now.

She could see that she was sitting down now, maybe Tomas pushed her down to sit on the steps. She could hear him talking to her now. Telling her to breathe and that everything was going to be fine. Standing far enough to make her feel like she had her space.

Time passed slowly to her until she could get herself under control again.

" Better? "

She nodded, still not being able to talk. Or just not wanting to.

" Okay. " He said. " Let's get back to your room, okay? Nice and quiet. "

She let herself be guided out of the staircase and towards the elevator, then to her room. She went to her bed and sat down, hugging her legs.

" How could you do this? " She asked. " Him of all people? "

Tomas sighed, sitting in front of her.

" I want you safe. He is your father. Doesn't matter his past, his mistakes, how you feel about them. He IS your father. " He said. " He can keep you safe. I can't. I wanted to be able to, Bella, I really do, but I can't fool myself anymore. "

" Then just let me go. "

" No. " Retorted Tomas quickly. " Kid, he's blood, please give him a chance. "

Tomas didn't know the whole truth, and really, he had gotten over her dad's death a long time ago. She wasn't going to open that wound again.

" Get out. " She said, with the harshest tone she could muster. " Get. Out. " The betrayal of having Tomas just handing her over to Stark in her eyes.

" Bella- "

" GET OUT! " She screamed.

He nodded, looking hurt, then standing up and leaving the room, softly closing the door behind him.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The helicopter ride to the Avenger compound was as devoid of talking as the last day in the hotel in Chicago. Bella simply refused to talk to anyone.

Tomas was sorry she was angry, but she had left him with no choice! He talked with Helena, and they both agreed, they had no way of keeping her in their house without changing completely the life of their own kids. Not to mention Stark was her father, her family, she wanting it or not.

It was for the best.

Of course, they would have to tell their kids about why Bella was living with the Avengers. And would have to make sure they would not go talking to their friends and posting about Bella's parentage. But that was not a problem now, it was a problem for when they finally told them.

They got out of the helicopter and were met with Miss Hill and Vision, the military man didn't know where Tony was and wasn't questioning it now.

The exchange of greetings was met with more silence from the girl, who didn't even look at the people in front of her.

This was too quiet. Too much silence was bad when it came to Bella.

The red android showed them to the bedroom that would be Bella's. And he had to hand it to Stark, the man worked fast, there were clothes on the closet, a computer, books, hygiene products on the bathroom. Everything.

Again, no words came from Bella. She just looked at everything with a frown.

" So... I guess that's it. " He said, looking at the girl who was standing in the middle of the room with her hoodie covering her face and her hands in her pockets. " You're all set. "

Silence.

" I'll come visit as soon as possible. Helena will be able to do it more often. "

Silence.

She moved to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. No sounds came, and he was sure she was doing it to avoid him. A clear way to show him she wasn't interested.

He sighed, telling himself it would get better.

" Good bye then. " He said through the door. " I'll call. " He ran a hand through his hair. " Please be safe and take care of yourself. Love you. "

He left the room, meeting with Vision outside.

" She seems... quiet. " Said the red man, seeming confused.

" She's mad at me. "

" Oh. " He said, nodding. " I thought that was unusual. "

Tomas smiled at the matter fact tone, even if he wasn't feeling very happy.

" Do not worry, Mr Perez. " Said Vision. " We will take care of her. "

" Thanks. "

* * *

" You do know that, despite me caring for what happens to your kid, you do owe me big time for this. " Said Steve, standing in the common room with Tony, Perez had just left, going back to his family and now, officially Bella was living with the Avengers.

" I can get you tickets for whatever game you want. " Said the billionaire.

" Not gonna be that easy. " Said Steve, with a quickly fading smile. " You're sure this is the right move? "

" Right now, it will be the best if my contact with her is... dosed. "

Steve felt bad for the man, he didn't have blood relatives, but it couldn't be easy to have a relationship like that with your own kid.

" I'm sure it will get better once she gets to know you. " He said. " You know, the real you, not the guy shown online. "

" Yeah, I'm sure. " Said Tony, not sounding like he believed it.

" So, you're off to California? "

" No, I'll wait for Pepper, she's coming to meet Bella. "

" That's good. " Said Steve.

" Yeah. I mean, the woman did see something good in me to date me. Maybe she can get a good word out. "

* * *

Bella was still in the bathroom. What was the use of coming out? She wasn't going to be able to leave the building anyway.

She couldn't believe Tomas had done that. If she had the heart to tell him that George was killed with Stark's weapon, the patriotic man would definitely not leave her in a building built by the man who had made that bomb. But she could not bare to tell the man that. Tomas had moved on, healed. She lived with 'not moving on', she didn't wish that for him.

She was sitting on top of the counter, her back against the wall and the lights off. Of course Stark would have build a bathroom with gigantic mirrors.

She usually tried to avoid thinking about her parents, but not surprisingly, she couldn't. Ever since she found out that Stark had his lawyers make his status as a 'father' official.

Her mother never intended on telling her about her real father. She only did it at the time because she was drunk and depressed. Emma made George her father. George WAS her father, he loved her like one and raised her. Who met a pregnant woman whom he fell so much in love with, he loved her daughter as his own too. Emma never wanted Tony to be Bella's father.

Bella had let it happen. She had let the situation come to a point where it had happened. Her mother never wanted this.

Bella felt like she had gone against her wishes. Like, once again, she had disappointed her mother. Her father.

Not just his blood, the weight of the lives his family took, she had his name following her. Following her in the metal and glass prison he had trapped her in.

She hated crying, felt like she was loosing control if she did. But she did feel tears falling down her face as she sat there in the dark.

She was there for a while until a light yellow glow appeared. Through the wall. She immediately leaned her head down, hiding her puffy eyes and drying the tears on her sleeve.

" You always just invade bathrooms while they're occupied? " She asked, her voice muffled by the fabric of her coat.

" You are here for a while now. " Asked Vision. " I didn't hear any sounds, so I came in to ask if you wanted to get out. Maybe eat something. " Came the voice of the android. " Maybe say hello to me. "

" Aren't you sensitive? " She asked in an annoyed tone. " Don't tell me you're turning needy. "

" Not more than usual. I think. " Said Vision. " Do you want me to turn on the lights? "

" Don't you think that, if I wanted the lights on, I would have come up with a way to make them so, without having to wait for someone to break in here to turn them on? " She asked, her face already dry, and she looking up.

" Maybe you were so lost in your mind you didn't notice and me bringing it up made you remember. " He said.

" Well, it wasn't it. " She said, seeing the glowing stone move up and down a little as he nodded.

" I believe it would be nice for you to get out of here. " He said, turning and unlocking the door, opening it and letting the light of the bedroom in.

She realized then that, until Vision learned to respect her space and privacy, locking herself in spaces would do her no good. So she stood up from the counter and left the bathroom.

Once again, the image of the objects made her stomach ache. Objects that were clearly bought using information Tomas gave Stark, because they looked like things her own parents would have bought her, or things she would have asked for them to get to her. From the colors to theme. This was not like her room in the Perez's home, this was not just a spare bedroom she used, this was put together thinking of her. Like her room in her home had been, built by and to her in the years as she grew.

It was a cruel reminder of what she lost, placed in the prison they trapped her in.

" Okay. I'm out of the bathroom, can you let me be now? "

He looked at her with a thinking expression.

" This is not punishment. " He said.

" Right. It's protection, I heard that before. " She said, with a roll of her eyes.

" Maybe if you actually stop thinking everyone is lying to you, you can see that. " He said. " I was going to ask you if you wanted to do something, but I think this is all I'll get from you now. Tell me if you want to eat or... I don't know, just talk. "

He left, leaving the door of 'her room' open. She looked around, wondering what she would do now. She could feel her mind racing, the itch of having too much going on there. She needed to work, to calm her thoughts, organize them, control them, so they didn't overwhelm her.

* * *

Pepper was officially nervous, even if she had already been warned that this might not go well. She also told herself that it was probably very normal in 'girlfriends meeting daughters of their boyfriends' situations. Though she thought that in most of them the kids didn't have deep hatred for their fathers. Or criminal vigilante careers. Or a list of traumatic experiences in their pasts.

Taking advantage of the fact that she had taken the company jet to Washington, because of a meeting, Pepper just had to take a helicopter to the Avenger HQ.

Tony was there and years of knowing the man told her that he was not doing well. He was smiling, but he was nervous too. Good, it made her feel better to know she wasn't alone in it.

They said hello, kissed and went inside.

" So... ready to meet a very moody genius with no social skills? " Asked Tony.

" I already know one. " She said. " I think I got the hang of it. "

He smirked and gave her an ' you'll see' look.

She didn't know what she expected, but two feet hanging out from under the hood of one of the armored cars in the garage, was somehow exactly what she expected. She felt a smile on her face.

Though Tony would never have left the parts so neatly organized next to the car, (her father would have just threw them wherever he reached) he would probably be doing the same thing if he was in her place.

Tony cleared his throat loudly.

" Bella. "

A low 'fuck' could be heard from where her head was, she moved out from under the hood and standing near it. Pepper barely saw her face before a gloved hand pulled the hoodie from her coat up, covering her head.

" If you're getting your panties in a twist over the car, I'm not apologizing. "

" Don't care. Its not like you don't know what you're doing. " Said Tony. " I just wanted to introduce you- "

" Yeah, Virginia Potts. I know who she is. " Said the girl, placing her hands in her pockets. " The one who doesn't realize she can do better. "

" What can I say? I have low standards. " Said Pepper, with a smile, approaching and offering her hand for the girl to shake. She was a CEO of an international billion dollar company, she could fake a smile anytime. " It is very nice to meet you, Bella. "

" Oh, you're a hand shaker. Interesting. " Said the girl, looking at her hand. " I don't really do that. Not to mention I'm not very eager to be nice and chatty with the girlfriend of the Merchant of Death. "

Pepper took her hand back.

" You seemed to have missed a few things, he goes by Iron Man now. " Said Pepper, trying not to sound as defensive as she felt. She knew how Tony felt about his old nickname, even if he pretended not to care.

" You're right, you do have low standards. " Said the girl.

" Hey! " Came Tony's voice.

" Hey what? " Retorted the girl. " I might not have a choice in being a prisoner here, but no way I'm playing nice. "

Pepper was starting to see that Tony was playing down Bella's hate for him. This wasn't going well and for Tony's sake, she wanted it to get better. Her mind rushed through everything she knew about the girl and her father, looking for something to shift the talk.

" You had to take apart my car, didn't you? " Came the voice, sparing Pepper from figuring out how to defuse tension, because she saw a smirk appear on the girl's face as Hill walked over.

" I thought you would be glad to have my fingerprints all over your car. Matches the Super Fan thing. " Said Bella, turning back to the car, taking the tool she had left and focusing back on the engine.

" The only fingerprints I want on my car are mine. " Said Maria.

" Aren't you a control freak? "

" Takes one to know one. " Answered Maria.

Pepper looked at the woman who was now next to her, nodding a hello. Then she looked back at Tony, who was looking at the engine parts on the floor. It was a reflex the man had, couldn't control it, nor did he want to, when he was figuring out machines, he didn't have to deal with emotions.

And very hateful, frankly hurtful, daughters.

" What exactly was wrong with it? " Asked Maria.

" Outside the oil you forgot to change? " Asked Bella, in echo with Tony.

Bella looked back at the man with a glare, but Maria smirked at Pepper. Oh, the former SHIELD agent knew that girl too well. And her boss too. They couldn't help but to show others how little they knew about the machines they could put apart and back together again in their sleep.

" Hands off my car, Bella. " Said Maria. " I'm my own mechanic. "

" So that's why she's in this state. " Said Bella, looking at the woman.

Pepper knew now that the girl was ignoring her and Tony, but she was still there, and she saw the expression on the girl's face when Hill told her to stop working on her car. She had seen that veiled panic in Tony before. It was an 'I NEED to work' expression. Not many got to see that expression on the billionaire man, but she had, many times.

" I don't know Maria, I think a free service by someone who clearly knows a lot about engines might be a good thing. " Said Pepper. " Not an insult to your mechanical skills, of course. "

" Insult it away. " Said Bella, after sending Pepper an unreadable look. " This baby looks hideous. "

Tony sent Pepper a look, then leaving. He wasn't going to make anything easier by being there. In fact, if Pepper wanted to get along with Bella, it would be better not to have him there. Or that was what he clearly thought.

She looked at Hill, who sent her a small smile. Pepper couldn't be sure, but she had the impression she was having similar thoughts to herself.

" Just making sure... you're not going to turn my car into something weird, right? " Asked Hill, turning back to the girl.

" Define weird. " Said Bella, then looking back at them. " I might make it better than ever. "

" Uhum. " Said Hill, in a disbelieving tone and a raised eyebrow. " How about you make it as it was? "

" You mean poorly maintained? " She asked. " Suure... Why I just don't throw a wrench in there and close it up? "

" Pepper, please tell me that too much exposure to the 'annoying genius' behavior will not make me go insane. " Said Hill, introducing the strawberry blonde back on the talk.

" I could... if I believed it. " She said.

Bella glared at the two of them.

" You two will leave me alone to work or not? " Asked the girl.

" Not leaving until my car is in one piece. " Said Hill.

" And I came here to meet you. " Said Pepper, with a small smile. " Can't do that in the other room. "

" Why? " She asked. " I admit I'm fascinating, but that hardly makes people cross the country. "

It was hard to see her eyes, due to the fact the hoodie was hiding almost all of her face, but Pepper had heard that tone before, on Tony. That suspicious but still sarcastic tone. Amazing how someone who grew up never crossing paths with Tony could be so similar to him.

Amazing the things you learn can be genetic. Like be so god-damned annoying people wanted to punch them.

" I have meetings on this side of the country. " Said Pepper. " Decided it was time to meet Tony's daughter, him being my boyfriend and all. "

" That man is no father of mine. " She hissed back. " If that's what you came for, you lost your trip. "

" Genetics means nothing to you? " Asked Pepper.

Bella's hands closed in fists, she leaned against the vehicle, folding her arms in front of herself.

" Oh, it means a lot. " She said. " It means I carry the blood of a family of liars and murderers. Forgive me if I'm not eager to show up to the family reunion. "

Pepper felt like she was talking to a brick wall. It wasn't going to stop being a brick wall just because Pepper had all the arguments in the world to prove it was a wooden fence.

" That's a limited view. "

" Only if you consider cutting off on the bullshit, 'limited'. " Retorted the girl. " And considering that you worked for a weapons manufacturer for years, I don't expect you to understand. "

Not just Tony, huh? She had a problem with her too. Or just weapons in general.

" No answer to that? " Asked Bella. " Your PR slacking on the job? " The girl turned back to the car. " What did you expect to happen here? One smile and I would be all nice and everything would be fine? "

" No. I just expected someone who would at least try. " Said Pepper, not even knowing if she should be saying that or not.

Hill didn't look surprised at the tone.

" Well, usually prisoners are excused for being annoyed. " Said the girl.

" I resent being called a jailer. " Said the former SHIELD agent.

" And Tony is not keeping you prisoner. " Said Pepper at the same time.

" Super Fan. " Said Bella, ignoring Pepper. " Being in love with me and having orders not to let me out of your sight kind of does disagree with you. "

" Don't flatter yourself, I'm having Vision babysit you on all the days off I can manage. " Said Hill, not seeming offended.

" Making the trip to the stalker convention in Toledo? " Asked the girl, looking back with a smirk.

" Don't be ridiculous. " Said Hill, with a small fake smile. " I hate Toledo. "

The girl gave a laugh, then looked back at the engine.

" Well, I think you're not willing to talk to me. So... I'll try again later. " Said Pepper, turning around and leaving.

She did hear the girl mutter something, but not enough to understand it.

She wandered around for a while until she found Tony in his bedroom.

" Back already? " He asked, leaning back on the couch, a drink in his hand.

" You were right. " She said, sitting heavily nest to him. " Bad. "

" Are you okay? " He asked.

" Yeah. She just... apparently she doesn't expect me to understand why she hates you because I worked for a weapons manufacturer. " She said, taking the bottle on the coffee table and the empty cup next to it, serving herself a shot. " Her tone... it was like she disgusts me for it. "

" You never did anything wrong. " Said Tony, sitting up a bit.

" And you're not a monster. " She said, leaning back, him too. " But she is blind. Doesn't want to see it. "

" Obsessed it's more like it. "

She took a sip of the drink.

" Look, Tony, I know it's hard. Very hard, to be around her. I mean, she is your blood and all she wants to see from you are the things you want to leave behind. " She said, slowly. " But she is only going to change her mind if her evidence is there for her to see... She needs to know you. "

" Please don't say it- "

" You need to be around her. For her to know you're human. " She said.

He groaned, rubbing his face with his free hand.

" I'm just going to screw this up- "

" Tony, for you to improve your relationship with her, you need to let go of your issues with Howard. " She said, interrupting him.

She knew it the second she said it. She pushed too hard. His face turned completely flat, impassive, and he moved a little away from her. He drank all the liquid in his cup and sat up.

" Honey, I care about you. A lot. " He said. " But you don't know what you're talking about. And I'm going to ask you once. " He looked at her. It wasn't anger she saw there, at least not at her. She saw a lot more hurt and sorrow hidden in that well practiced 'impassive' face. Unresolved issues. Years, decades of them. " Don't bring it up again. "

He left the room.

Father issues. She realized that he and Bella had that in common too.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Fixing Super Fan's car hadn't helped one bit. Bella was still a mess. She wandered around again until she found a laundry room with industrial sized machines. Even 'supers' had dirty laundry, though she thought the size of those things a bit excessive.

Stark overcompensated even with washer and drier machines.

She looked around and saw that there was no one around. Her mind was still buzzing. The overwhelming feeling of all that had happened weighing her down.

She looked at that giant machine, with giant moving parts. And if she could swear she heard a choir of angels.

All she had to do was run back to the garage and push back with her the giant tool cart.

* * *

Steve didn't like the idea of other people doing his laundry. It was weird. Tony may be used to having people doing things for him, but Steve wasn't.

Not to mention that he REALLY didn't like the idea of people seeing that he had a color code to organize his underwear according to the day of the week.

He took the opportunity that he didn'y have something to do, and everyone else seemed busy with adapting to the new situation of being 'babysitters' now. Maybe doing something would help him.

But when he walked in the laundry room, he realized he would have to use his Saturday underwear on Sunday too. Because there were two feet coming out from the open washer, pieces that he wasn't sure the purpose of, neatly organized on the floor.

The size of the feet and the bunnies on the shoes told him who was the 'mechanic'.

" Really? "

A bang and a muffled curse were his answer. The two feet disappeared inside, then a head with wild hair came out.

" The hell man! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? " She asked, as she pulled the hoodie of her coat up.

" What I am trying to do is my laundry. " He said. " Why did you break the machine? "

" Break? Break? " She asked, climbing off the inside, a tool on her hand. " Does it look broken to you? "

" Well, the parts all around make me think about it. " He said.

" Jeezzz, you're such a whiner. " She said. " Can't a girl do a routine work on a machine without SOMEONE on this whole building throwing a hissy fit? " She was about to enter the machine again when she locked her gaze on the basket on his hands. " Are... Do you color code your undies? "

" No. " He said, quickly, taking a shirt that was more to the side and placing on top of all the other items.

" Suuuure. " She said, smirking. " Look, if you want to use the machine, you'll have to wait until I'm done. Or you can do like a bunch a people around the planet and hand wash. Your choice Capsicle. Now shoo, I'm busy. "

The girl took another tool from the organized pile on top of the tool cart and climbed back into the washing machine.

" If you want a tip, I wouldn't wash the red one with the white. " She said. " It can all turn into one color and you can get your poster boy hair all messed up trying to figure out if you're wearing Monday or Wednesday undies. "

Steve was sure she was smiling when she said that.

" Put that machine back together. " He said. " I'll be back in one hour. "

" Bring me coffee. " She said. " I might me almost half-way through by then. Now shoo. "

Steve was definitely never going to let Tony forget the favor he was paying him.

" One hour. " He repeated as he left the room.

A sarcastic laugh was all he got as an answer.

* * *

The pieces of the giant machine were very heavy, not surprising, still Bella kept going and disassembled and assembled the thing back again. Her arms were killing her when she was done.

She leaned back against the tool cart, sitting on the floor, the coat discarded because it was too warm to do that much effort with it on.

It was incredible how working helped her. The order of the parts where she put them. The logic of how they all fitted together. It made sense. Made more sense than anything else in the world.

But it didn't matter how many times she pulled that washer apart and put it together again. It didn't matter if she had a computer now, and she wrote the best code she ever wrote. It was not going to change what had happened, where she was.

Sometimes she wondered if there was something wrong with her. Why she was so overwhelmed by her emotions, by people, that she just couldn't handle it.

She was tired. She needed sleep. She needed her mind to let her sleep.

She looked out the window, the dark sky telling her that she had been there for too long.

She didn't want to sleep in that bed. With the purple bed sheets. With the pillows that had bunnies on them.

How the hell did Stark found out about her bunny phase?

She could feel the weight of her limbs, her left side, as always, heavier. Her skin sweaty and hot, making the floor colder by comparison. Her heart was beating a little fast, which was normal for her when she did something that demanded physical effort. Her mind was calmer, but still not as it would have been if she wasn't here.

" Hours of work, and it looks exactly as it did before. "

She startled, sitting up a bit and looking back at the red android.

" You sound disappointed. " She said.

" Well, after so much time putting it apart- "

" You wanted a transformer? " She asked.

" No. " He said. " Not exactly. "

She could swear he sounded exactly like he wanted a transformer.

" Are you hungry? " He asked. " The others ordered take out. "

" No. " She said.

" Are you sure? You had been here for a long time. " He said.

She grabbed her coat from where she had left it and put it on.

" Yeah. "

" You want to do something? "

" Nope. " She answered as she stood up, pulling the hoodie up.

" You want to rest? "

" I don't want anything. " She said. " I want to get out of here, but you're under orders not to let that happen. "

" More like a request. " He said. " Do you want help putting that back in place? " He asked, pointing at the tool cart.

" Nah. " She said, leaving the room with the tool cart there.

A few moments later, he was right next to her.

" You look tired. "

" Red, we gotta work on your bedside manner. " She said. " No one ever told you not to say that to a girl? " She asked, with a little smirk.

" Never really considered you one. " He said.

" Surprised you hadn't slipped and called me Bob already, then. " She retorted.

" That is not what I meant. " He said, looking a little disconcerted. " I just meant that, for me, you are 'the kid'. Not exactly a girl or boy. Not that I believe you to be a boy, you are not, clearly- "

" Red. "

" Yes? "

" Just stop. "

" Okay. "

She continued walking, he accompanying her. It was depressing how little she saw of defects in the security. Unless she had a freaking tank and was willing to hurt others, there was no way out. At least not for her, who had no training and no physical aptitude for going unnoticed. Her best cover had always been hiding in plain sight.

It didn't matter how much she walked around, played with the motors she found, it didn't change the fact that she was in here.

" I... I changed my mind. I'm tired. " She said.

" Well, as you had seen, your room is ready for you. " He said.

" Yeah. Just perfect. " She muttered, changing directions.

* * *

Tony hated when people were right. He was supposed to be smarter than everyone else. Or he liked to be, so he wouldn't have to admit he was wrong.

Pepper was right and he hated that. He comforted himself with the fact that it wasn't as simple as she was making it out to be.

He hadn't slept that night, he spent the night in the communal living room, nursing a bottle of whiskey. Pepper spent the night alone in his room.

He watched the sunrise in silence, but his peace didn't last much longer.

" Tony? What are you doing up so early? " Asked the voice of the early bird himself, Steve Rogers. " You're not one to wake up so early. "

" Am not. " He answered, looking back at the man as he went to the open kitchen. Already dressed for his morning run. Seriously, did that guy ever gave a rest to the army routine?

" Never went to sleep, huh? " Asked the soldier, looking at him from his spot by the fridge. " Guess things didn't go well with Pepper and Bella. "

" Never went. " He said.

" So that's why I couldn't do my laundry yesterday. " Said Steve.

" What? " Asked Tony, confused.

" She was in the washing machine, 'fixing it'. " Said Steve, with a small shake of his head, before turning to the fridge and opening it, starting to take things to make his breakfast.

" In it? "

" She is small and it big enough. " Said the super soldier.

He nodded, looking down at the cup on his hands again.

A few seconds passed until he heard the sound of metal lightly hitting porcelain right behind him.

" You drank it all in one night? " Asked Steve, the tone of judgment coming clearly even with the muffled voice from him talking while he ate.

Tony looked at the almost empty bottle.

" No, started working on it after I rescued Bella in Chicago. " He answered honestly. " Even my liver has limits. "

A moment of silence and the muffled sounds of cereal being chewed were the only things he heard for a while.

" You're okay? " Then came the question he knew was coming.

He could lie. He did that a lot. It was reflex, he had it all his life. Telling people he wasn't okay led to them asking what was wrong. The answer to those questions were always too intimate. Too deep. He wasn't one for deep. It always made him feel like running for hills in despair.

But sometimes, even lying got old. So, he didn't say anything. Just drank the rest of the liquid on the cup.

" That bad, huh? "

He smirked, but without humor. Steve could be such a mother hen.

" I didn't say that. "

" You didn't bother lying as usual. Things have to be horrible. "

He shouldn't be surprised that people eventually caught on his scheme.

" I thought Sam was the one into group therapy. "

" Just because I don't talk about it, doesn't mean I don't go to those. " Said Steve, walking around the couch and sitting next to him, his cereal bowl still on his hands.

" Really? " Asked Tony, looking at the soldier, who shrugged. " Didn't peg you as the sharing type. "

" Thought I was like you? " Asked in response Steve.

" No, you admit when something is wrong. Just thought you suffered in silence and private. "

Steve didn't seem offended, he just nodded, eating another spoon full of cereal.

" I don't actually talk. " He finally answered, after swallowing. " Not the important things. Not yet. "

" Not very 40s, this whole 'therapy' thing? "

" No, not really. " Said Steve. " Adjusting means more than learning who AT/DC is. "

" AC/DC. "

" Yes, that. "

Tony smiled, shaking his head.

" Did you eat all of the cereal, or is there some for me? " He asked.

" Sorry. You'll have to content with Wanda's super healthy one. "

" That thing tastes like cardboard. " Said Tony, making a disgusted face. " I'm ordering a pizza. "

" It's 5 in the morning. " Said Steve.

" I didn't have dinner last night, I'll consider it one. " Said the billionaire. " Nothing starts the day like a Meat Lovers Special. "

* * *

Bella wanted to stay awake. She wanted to refuse to sleep and get any sort of comfort. She didn't manage to. Eventually she fell asleep on the floor, on the one corner of the room who was the most hidden from sight from the door. Not that the bookshelf was much of a visual obstacle.

Her neck was killing her when she got up from her curled position on the floor. Nothing new there, she was so used to pain that not being in any discomfort was a very far away dream.

She stood up, moving her head from one side to another to try and relieve the pain, getting little result.

The sun outside her window told her that she had slept for longer than usual. Emotional turmoil was making her more tired than she expected.

She had to use the bathroom, so she did. Certain things she couldn't ignore.

Then she just stood in the middle of the room, looking around and staring at all the details around.

Her eyes stopped on the bedside table. The picture frame. And she wondered how could she have missed it before.

She approached cautiously, trying to tell herself she wasn't afraid to look closer, or hold it in her hands.

It was a photo of her family. A Christmas card they made when she was about seven. The two grown-ups standing in front of the decorated tree, she standing in front of them.

She remembered her mom fussing over her rebel hair for what felt like forever, until it looked almost 'tamed'. How her Dad hated the sweater he had been forced to wear, but played like he didn't because her mom had bought it for him.

How had that picture had gotten here?

She sat on the bed, taking the frame in her hands. She again lying to herself and telling her she wasn't tearing up.

It had been years since she saw a picture of her family. They had all burned in the fire. All she had was side appearances in Tomas' family pictures.

She ran her fingers over their faces. Ghost laughs ringing in her ears, along with annoyed grunts from the girl and her father as Emma tried to get the 'perfect picture'. That was rare when it came to Bella, her mother struggled a lot with it.

She didn't know how to feel, seeing that photo. She felt like it eased an ache for not seeing their faces for so long, at the same time as it made her miss them even more. Still, she didn't stop looking at it.

She was so immersed in her own mind and memories that she didn't hear the knocking on the door or the person getting in after she didn't answer.

" Good morning. "

She startled, even making a little surprised sound, holding the frame to her chest. She looked at the person next to her as she tried to catch her breath. Of course, it was Super Fan.

" Good Morning. " Said Maria again.

" Hey. " She said, breathing deeper due to the scare. " What are you doing here? "

" I knocked, you didn't answer. " Said the woman, looking at the object in her hands but not commenting on it. " I came in to ask you if you want some breakfast. "

Food. Yeah, that was a thing, even if she forgot it sometimes. She was hungry, but the idea of going out there, to HIS kitchen and eat HIS food, made her stomach churn. She wasn't ready for it.

" No, thanks. " She said. " Not hungry. "

Maria took a moment looking at her, probably noticing the lack of a smart ass response. Or just the too shining eyes. Bella preferred to think the first was the true.

" Okay. " She said. " I'll get out of your hair then. "

" Okay. "

Maria turned around and walked towards the door, only stopping when Bella called her.

" Maria? " She called. " How is this here? " She asked, looking back at the woman and raising the frame a little.

The woman took a second before answering.

" I had it on file. When I was first putting it together, I located your mother's email address. " Said the woman. " She sent it to some friends that Christmas. "

Bella looked back at the picture, before clearing her throat.

" You know, as far as creepy stalking and researching of my life goes, this isn't as... you know... unwelcome. " She said. " Still creepy. "

" You're welcome. "

Bella heard the door softly closing a moment after. She took the picture from the frame, holding the paper in her hands, then placing it on the inside of the large pocket of the hoodie she was wearing.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Time passed and Bella started to feel like a prisoner in that room, she had to get out of there. There was also the fact that she was bored out of her mind.

She wondered around until she found a workspace with lots of computers and equipment.

An empty space with lots of computers. Her hand itched as she stood by the door, conflicted.

She had spent all her time trying to escape Stark's money, his name, his legacy. His many crimes. Ever since she learned of her blood connection to him.

Now, here she was, in a place where there was no choice but to take something, because everything there were his.

If it was anywhere else, she would be all over those computers. But here, here it felt wrong. It felt bad just to want to do it.

Her mind flashed back to her mom, how she never wanted that man to be her father, how she found Bella a better one. The best one. She only told her daughter about Stark because she was depressed and drunk.

What would she say now? Seeing where Bella was? That she was disappointed? On what? On what Bella did for a living that led to Tomas giving up on her? Or with her being caught and not continuing her mission? Her mother was a changed woman the last years, it was hard to figure out what she would think about anything.

The woman she was before, before loosing George, she would be horrified of having her little girl in danger like that.

Bella forced herself to tear her eyes away from the computers and turned around. It was no use wondering what her mother would think. She was dead. George was dead. They were not coming back and couldn't say anything.

She wondered around for a little longer, hunger eating at her stomach. Her stubbornness was starting to lose space to the needs of a human body.

She was in the more private area of the HQ, where the rooms for the Avengers were, so there wasn't any of the other employees around, it was good, she didn't want to be around many people.

" Bella, hi. " She stopped, looking back and seeing Wanda coming out from one of the rooms, wearing working out clothes and looking a little tired and sweaty.

" Wanda. "

Bella's mind immediately flashed back to two red metal eyes that were disappearing in a blur, and two figures who stood doing nothing.

She knew that Wanda was an Avenger now and had no reason to hurt her. But her reflexes got the better of her, and she could not help but to take a few steps back.

Wanda frowned a little, then cleared her throat.

" I... hoped to run into you. " Said the woman.

" Why? " Asked Bella. " Walk down memory lane and remember our 'wonderful' time together? " She asked, in her usual sarcastic tone.

" Right. I guess I deserve that. " Said Wanda, running a hand over her hear. " I just... wanted to talk to you. "

" Well, I'm sorry but the office is closed for the day here, so if you'll excuse me- " Started saying Bella, turning around to leave.

" I'm sorry. "

She stopped. She didn't turn around, but she stopped.

" I shouldn't have let my anger guide my actions. Blind me. " Continued the woman. " Pietro and I... we had lived for vengeance for a long time, it sounded like the most important thing in the world. More important than stopping Ultron from disrespecting your right to decide what happens to your own body. "

" Disrespecting. " Said Bella with a huff. " That's a really mild word. "

" I know. " Said Wanda. " I was trying to avoid a harsher one. "

Bella could understand that. She never talked about it, too many conflicting thoughts. But she had thought a lot about it. A lot of 'harsher' words.

She took a deep breath and turned back, seeing the woman still in the same place, her face filled with guilt.

" What do you want? " Asked Bella, sharply. " A therapy moment? Share? I don't do that. "

" I wanted to apologize. " Said Wanda. " You don't have to forgive me. "

Bella didn't even know how to feel about Wanda. She had no idea if that apology was welcome or not.

" Oh, well. You said it. " She said. " Now, I have to go. "

This time, when she started walking away, she didn't stop. Didn't stop until she reached a kitchen.

Her stomach growled. Her members felt weak and shaky. It had been a long time since she last ate. She was at the limit of how long she could go. She knew because that was a limit she had met many times during her years on the street.

It was the limit where she started looking for food in dumpsters.

She scowled at herself, but she approached the space, going for the fridge.

When she opened it, her mouth watered at the sight of the pizza box. She reached for it, opening it and taking a piece. Sausage with extra cheese. It was even her favorite flavor.

She took a bite of the cold food, chewing slowly, so she wouldn't get sick from eating too fast after no eating for so long. Again something she knew from experience.

She managed to finish the piece in peace. Feeling the relief it brought her. She was still a little hungry, but not enough for another whole piece, so she looked around for a moment until she found a roll of kitchen foil, she took what she deemed an amount that was enough, then took another piece of pizza.

When she was satisfied, she wrapped what remained in the foil and put it in one of her pockets. Safe for later. She took also a bottle of water and left the kitchen.

* * *

Pepper had a while until she had to leave for her meeting in Washington. Tony still was a little cold with her, as he sometimes got when he had a lot on his mind. So she spent some time with Maria and Rhodey, who were friends she didn't get to spend a lot of time with.

When she went to the kitchen to get herself some coffee, she saw that there was someone there already, she waited by the door, not getting in. The last time she talked to Bella it hadn't gone well. And to be honest, she wanted to watch the girl for a moment. Wanted to know why she was taking a piece of foil.

The girl took a slice of pizza from the fridge, slowly eating as she stood in the middle of the kitchen. Her body language was very odd, like a skittish animal that was ready to run away at any second. Another reason why Pepper didn't interrupt.

Bella didn't eat half of the slice before she took the foil and wrapped the rest. The surprising part was that the girl put the wrapped food in her pocket before taking a bottle of water and leaving the kitchen through the other door.

Why would she take the food with her and not put it back on the fridge? That was odd. And for some reason it sounded an alarm on the woman's head. Like somewhere in her mind, she had an idea why that wasn't a good habit for a girl who was supposed to be getting comfortable living there.

Pepper got herself some coffee, then went to find Tony.

And what a surprise (except it was exactly what she expected) he was in the garage, looking at the hologram of the engine of the car in front of him, tools all around him.

He was so predictable.

" Hey. " She said, not so happy as it would have normally been. They were post a kind of 'fight' or disagreement.

He turned around, dropping the tool on his hands with the others next to him.

" Hey. "

" Are we okay? " She asked, holding the cup in her hands and warming her hands with the warmth of the liquid inside.

" Yeah, we are. " He said, with that bullshit 'I'm always awesome' posture and expression.

" Really? Because, if I crossed a line- "

" No, it's fine. " He said, a little discomfort flashing in his eyes. " My issues are no state secrets. "

" Yeah, but- "

" I'ts fine. " He said. " I wasn't offended. I was just... defensive. You can talk whatever you want. I mean, if anyone can, it's you. "

" Oh, good. " She said, approaching a little more. " You know, I also have no idea how to solve all this. I was just, thinking out loud. "

" You're not wrong. " He said. " And that it's me saying it. " He added with a little smirk. It really was very, very hard for him to admit he was wrong.

She smiled, shaking her head.

" So?... " She asked.

He sighed.

" I will be staying here. For a while. " He said, then smirking. " And yes, I know you're very proud of me and loving me even more right now. But contain yourself, we are in a public place. "

She laughed, rolling her eyes. He was so stupid, why did she love him?

" I'll try. " She said.

" It's hard, I know. I am very lovable. Handsome. Charismatic. Sexy- "

" Should I leave? "

They both turned their heads to see the mechanic of the HQ looking at them with a little uneasy expression. True, he wasn't that close to them, but they hadn't even noticed he was there.

" Yes. " Said Tony.

" No. " Said Pepper, at the same time as him. She turned at him and added. " No. "

He made one of his fake pouting faces.

" Fine. "

* * *

This place was big, but not big enough to keep Bella busy exploring it for long periods of time. She felt like a trapped animal, everywhere she turned, there was another closed window and door. Keeping her in with all the things she wanted to be able to ignore.

She thought about Wanda's apology. The woman said she was sorry about not stopping ULTRON from putting her in Helen's cradle. It didn't change the fact that Bella now had a permanent change to her body made against her will. And the Maximoffs stood there and did nothing.

But ULTRON was lying to them about his plan. And it wasn't like Bella herself hadn't done things wrong. She did. She stood by his side, too scared for herself to do something to stop him.

Her worry about herself had gotten a lot of people killed who hadn't need to die.

Bella knew she could never be forgiven for what she did. Why should she forgive Wanda? She should take responsibility for her actions.

But on the other side, wasn't working in the Avengers a way to seek responsibility? Even if, working with people who kill people in a regular basis was a completely misguided way to do it.

Bella rubbed her hands over her hair, groaning. She hated, HATED gray areas. It's why she didn't allow herself them. It's why she went after people who did despicable things for nothing more than greed. They didn't believe in what they were doing, they did it for greed.

Bella knew the mistakes she had made in the past, knew that eventually she would pay for them. She also knew that she was well withing her rights, and duty, to continue punishing those greedy monsters until the ax finally came down. Black and White, no gray.

She could blame Wanda for the people who died over her actions. That would never go away or be forgiven. But ignoring what ULTRON did to Bella... well, she thought that she was doing the best thing by helping ULTRON, if Wanda went against him, she thought would have jeopardized her chance to save the world. At least Cho was under mind control and not responsible for what she did. Fewer issues to mess with the teenager's head there.

Bella found an office, going in and sitting down on the chair behind the table. She opened the water bottle and put her feet up, taking a sip of the cool liquid.

Bella was still hurt. She wasn't ready to forgive anything. It had been a long time since she was able to forgive anything. She just couldn't say it was okay. No, she couldn't take the apology.

Wanda should just have to be glad that Bella didn't hate her as she hated Tony. But that was a given.

She looked around the table, seeing barely used stationery supplies and a keyboard (that probably costed more than most entry levels computers on the market today) positioned in a way that showed it was used the most.

Her hands itched again. She wondered what was happening out there, who was selling what to whom.

Did it really matter if it was Stark's computer? If she was working again? Specially if he didn't want her working in the first place?

She got her feet of the table, sitting straighter and turning on the computer. First thing she saw, the request for an identification and password.

This was a computer Stark made, it would be almost impossible to not be noticed when hacking into bank accounts. She could of course, sever the connection to the main system, with its protocols, and allow herself to keep working. But they would know she was there doing it. But she was not taking any money today. She had to do research first.

Well, might as well start.

Her fingers flew over the keys. It took her forever (in her opinion) to break through the password and id page. Then she was in.

* * *

Vision had a vast set of powers, he knew that. He was also mentally an adult, due to his mind being made by a mesh of JARVIS' and ULTRON's. That had nothing to do with experience in the battle field.

Working as part of a group was very hard. He felt inadequate every time he left training with Rogers, even if the man was always telling him he was doing well. That Vision didn't need to be so hard on himself.

Perfectionism must be the AI part of him.

He was wondering about all the things he had learned about anticipating other's movements when he passed by one the offices. Normal thing, offices were all around that place. The unusual part was the teenage girl working there.

" Bella? " He greeted, entering the space.

" Hey Red. " She said, eyes not slowing down as they ran from one spot to the other in the screen.

" What are you doing? "

" Working. " She said. Fingers starting to work fast for a moment then stopping, eyes running over the screen again.

" I thought you would not be doing that again. " He said. He had come to the conclusion that if she was going to get better, she had to stop this 'work' of hers. For good. Everyone else in the compound thought so too.

" Thought wrong. "

He wondered if all little brothers had annoying big sisters. He wasn't even surprised at the big sister comment. Bella felt like family to him. Tony was the reason they were both in the world, it was enough for him. He wasn't going to wonder about it for longer.

" No, I didn't. " He said. " You have to stop. "

" No. " She answered, not missing a beat and not even pausing in what she was doing.

" Yes. " He said.

" Nope. "

He wasn't one to be angry. He was very rational and able to maintain calm in the most dire of situations. But he had the impression that Bella would challenge that.

" Why do you insist in this? Why can't you stop? " He asked. " It only calls more danger to you. "

" So what? " She asked. " Why don't you stop doing what you're doing? "

" Because you're a kid and I'm not. " He said.

" You're like a year old! " She said, still not glancing at him. " I'm much older than you and I'm telling you that all this 'you're a kid' thing, it's crap. "

" I'm made by two part who were not kids. " He said. " I'm not human, I'm not made of normal flesh and blood, like you. "

" I'm not flesh and blood anymore. Not entirely. " She said, finally looking away from the screen, looking past his to the floor, behind him. " Look. You can stand there and not change my mind, or you can leave me alone. What I'm doing needs doing and no one else seems to be willing to get it done, so if you please- " She finished with a shooing motion.

" No, I'm not- " He said, making the shooing motion she did, as she looked back at the screen.

" Yes, you are. "

" No. "

" Yes. "

" No. "

" Yeah! "

" No! " He insisted, he was loosing his patience. " I'm not going anywhere. I'm getting you to do something else. "

" Ha! " She laughed once. " Good luck with that. "

" Thank you, but I don't believe it's necessary. " He said, moving towards her and grabbing her in her middle and swinging her over his shoulder.

" The HELL!? " She asked. " Let go of me. "

" As soon as you are out of this room and away from the computer that has access to all these databases. " He said, passing through the door, but stopping, because she had grabbed the door frame.

" No! " She exclaimed. " I'm in the middle of a report about eastern Europe dealers! "

" You're not in the middle of anything but being very childish. " He said. " Let go of the door. "

" Never! " She said.

" So how will you work? Glued to the door frame? " He retorted. He had been right, she was a challenge to his calm.

" Don't try to be clever! "

" I can't help but being cleverer than the one being extremely difficult. " He said.

" Says the one trying to physically drag me away! " She exclaimed.

" What's going on here? "

Both of them turned their heads, as much as their positions allowed, to see Steve standing in the end of the hall, looking at them with a confused and a little stern face.

" It is a complicated answer, Captain. " He said.

" It's not! " Said Bella, taking the opportunity, seeing he was momentarily distracted and jumped from his hold and shoulders and ran in the office, slamming the door shut. " He's got a few artificial synapses loose! " Came the muffled yell, along with the noise of locking.

" You do realize I can just phase through the door? " He asked, surprised at how close to sounding angry he was.

All the answer he got was a high-pitched annoying version of what he said.

" Vision. " He looked from the closed door to Steve again, who was approaching. " I take you and Bella had an argument. "

" It seems that being as difficult as she is, is the only way to get her to stop working. "

" I thought Tony told FRIDAY to stop her when she tried. " Said the man.

" Please! " Came Bella from the inside. " With my code? She can look, but can't touch. "

" I don't understand. " Said Steve. " FRIDAY? "

" As she said, she has severed my direct access to the computer, I can still see what she is doing, but can't stop her from doing it. " Said the AI.

Steve nodded.

" Then cut the power. " He said, as if it was obvious. " It's plugged on the electricity outlet, no? Then cut the power. "

Vision cursed at himself internally. He should have thought of that. It was obvious in hindsight.

Sometimes the one who understood the least of technology, was the one to see a situation with a clarity others who only thought of codes and software, couldn't.

" Of course. " Said the AI.

A moment later, a yell came from inside.

" You Bitch! "

" Language! " Said Steve back, loud enough to be heard through the door.

A moment of silence.

" Did you just seriously just said 'Language' to me? " She asked.

Steve shook his head.

" Just like Tony. Like one isn't enough. " He said, but not loud enough, so she could hear it.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Red used to be cool. He totally deserved the pressure bomb she was going to put on his seat, one sit and bum, shaving cream all over. She just had to find enough of the stuff. Maybe Poster Boy America had a stock. The trustworthy face of America's most beloved hero was a clean shaved one.

Too bad he was apparently an annoying hero too.

After the electricity was cut off, and she was once again thrown into the depths of maddening boredom, the Super Soldier decided that leaving her alone to her own devices was maybe not the best choice.

So here she was, wondering if she could knock herself out if she started hitting her head against the table a little harder.

" God, is this torture? This is how you punish people who say curse words? You send HIM to fucking talk me to death? " She asked, looking up.

" Language. And that is very rude. " Said Steve, not looking up from the monopoly board in between them.

" So is this. I believe that Geneva's Convention has laws about this. " She said, her right hand's fingers hitting the table-top at a rhythm that followed the code she was coming up with in her mind. The gloved left hand was supporting her head, covered with the hoodie. " Don't you have better things to do? Other than following me around and forcing me to play the world's most famous love/hate game? "

" No, not really. " He said, rolling the dice. " I realized that if you're just left alone you'll do what you're not supposed to. And apparently you have the ability of making Vision act his real age, so I'm the one keeping you busy. "

" This is not busy! This is mind-numbing. " She exclaimed, getting up from the chair.

" I'll just go to whatever you are and bring the board with me. And we'll have to start again. " Said Steve. " Or, we can do something else. "

" Great, just give me your phon- "

" No. Nothing work related. Something fun. Something kid-like. " Said the man.

" Something kid-like? " She asked, raising an eyebrow. " Wow, you're very new at this, aren't you? "

" Yes, yes I am. " He said, with a small smile.

" Jeez. " She said, shaking her head. " An 'honest' jailer. "

" This is not a prison, Bella. " Said the man, the smile gone.

" No, you just threw me in here and don't let me leave. I suppose it can be called unlawful imprisonment. " She just said. " In both cases, you should be ashamed, Mr 'Holier than thou'. "

He sighed, looking at her with pity. Oh that was a mistake on his part, she hated pity. HATED it.

" Tony is trying to protect you from yourself, Bella. " He said, in a soft tone that was supposed not to be completely infuriating, but of course that's why it was. " You have a lot of dangerous people who are looking for the one responsible for the things you did. "

" Then let them come! " She exclaimed, slamming one hand on the table. " I did it all very much aware of what would come my way. I don't want any protection. Specially from him. "

" You don't know what you're talking about, kid. " He said.

" Oh, please! Stop with the 'kid' thing. You think I don't know what those guys are capable of? I made it my job to know what they are capable of! I read all the reports, I saw the torn bodies, the tortured people who died in agony, scared and alone. I know how they pass over any line of human decency for the sake of money! " She wanted to punch this guy in the face. Why did he still looked at her like that? She wasn't someone to be pitied! She had to pay for her mistakes. She had to work to make this world a little less awful to try to pay a debt that could never be payed. She had to do it, until she couldn't anymore. And that was only going to happen when she was dead.

No glorified old man would look at her with those puppy dog eyes and spin some bullshit story about her living happy and 'safe'.

" So don't you come and patronize me. Most of all, DON'T insult my intelligence! " She said. " I am very much well-informed of the consequences and I'm ready to face them. "

" We're talking about you dying. " He said, with a sad expression.

" I faced death before, more than once. As far as I'm concerned, I'm already living on borrowed time. " She said. " You should know something of it, right? "

She turned around leaving the room.

" Come talk to me when you find a way down your fucking high horse. " She said. " I know it might take you a while, it's a long way down. "

* * *

Tony was staying at the compound, but that didn't mean that every minute he wasn't second guessing that decision. When Pepper left in the helicopter, he almost jumped in to follow along. He was already thinking of the excuse he would give the woman.

But to his credit, he remained strong. And stayed back.

He was already worried about what he had to face when Steve came and told him about his talk with Bella.

Not surprising, the talk rang familiar bells when it came to the worries he had over the girl.

" She's too much like me. " He said, out loud for some reason. He wasn't one for a lot of confessional moments. But this situation with Bella was taking more than he felt he could give. " Too much for her own good. Doesn't matter how old, no one should be like me. "

" You're being too hard on yourself. " Said Steve.

" You weren't there, Steve. " He said. " You didn't see me when I... "

" When? "

" When I was where she is. When I hadn't learned to bury it deep, deep enough that sometimes I may even believe that it doesn't exist. "

He was saying too much, he had to stop. He had to guard himself.

' Starks are always at someone's crosshairs, Tony.' The voice of his father rang in his mind. 'You can't give them any fuel to use against you. Keep your feelings to yourself, so that they can't be used against you.'

That old reflex that made him want to run away, came back. The emergency mode that told him to shut down everything and get the hell away from everything.

" What 'it'? "

He shook his head, looking away from the wall in front of him and back at the tablet on his hands.

" Nothing, talking nonsense. The hangover must be still messing with my head. " He said. " Thanks for letting me know about- You know. I'll add it to the list. "

He stood up from the couch, his mind flashing back to a roof, years ago, when he was ready to die, when he wanted to die. To get it all done with.

" I forgot that I have to get on a conference call in about five minutes. Pepper does her best but I'm still expected to do 'some' work. " He said, with his trade mark 'work smile'. " See you later Cap. "

" Tony. "

He didn't stop or looked back.

Of course, he didn't have a conference call. He was sure Steve knew it, the man was just too polite to call him out on it.

His mind was going to places it had no places going. He had to work. Think about things that made sense. That were comforting.

He was sure that his suits were due to an upgrade.

A massive one.

* * *

Sam was not surprised when he saw the feet under his car. He expected it at some point, after Maria got her free repair.

" I won't have to pay you, will I? " He asked, getting close.

He heard a bang and a curse.

" What the hell is with people here and sneaking up on me?! " She asked, then sliding herself out from under his car, rubbing her forehead. When she was sitting up, her other hand moved the hoodie up to cover her face.

" Did you get hurt? " He asked.

" I'm fine. " She said. " This yours? "

" Yep. "

" You don't take her to the mechanic often, do you? " She asked.

" Not really. It slips my mind. " He said. " After the other car totaled, I kind of lost my will to work too hard on vehicles. "

" What happened to the other car? " She asked, taking another tool from the organized pile next to her and laid back down, sliding herself back under the car.

" HYDRA. "

A huff came.

" Should have guessed. " She said.

" Me too. " He said. " I still wasn't done paying for it. And my insurance didn't cover it. "

" My heart aches for you. " She said in her sarcastic tone. " Now that we poured our hearts out over the traumatizing loss of your car, can you leave me alone? "

" No. " He said.

" What the fuck is wrong with this place? " She muttered, but he heard it.

" How about this? " He asked. " You let me help you with this and I take you out of this compound for a ride. "

A sound, and she slid back looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

" A ride where? " She asked.

" Do you like ice cream? "

" Am I five? " She asked with a fake smile and a sarcastic tone.

" Everyone likes ice cream. " He retorted.

" So why did you ask? "

" To be polite. "

" Boring. " She said, rolling her eyes. Then going back under the car. " What do you hope to get from this 'allowed' day out? That an ice cream and fresh air will make me more malleable? "

" Ha, no. I have the impression that you were never malleable. " He said. " I would guess that you were always like science rules. Laws of Physics. They are what they are. Can't bend them. Can't break them. "

" Good, you see that this whole thing will not change me. " Said Bella.

" But you can move around them. " He said. " It's what you geniuses do, isn't it? Find ways around? Think your way around the problem? In other lights? "

" Somethings you can't move around. " She said.

" You would be surprised. " He said.

" Is this the VA guy talking or the Avenger whose salary is payed by Stark? " She asked.

" No difference between them. " He said.

" Right. " She said, unbelieving.

" Doesn't matter if you believe it or not. I know it's true. That's enough for me. " He said.

" At least you're not trying to spin a fairy tale to me. " She said.

" I don't think the things the others are telling are fairy tales. I believe in them. " He said, sitting down on the floor, next to the tire of his car. " But I know that sometimes people need a breather. I can do the fairy tale after. "

" Be my guest not to. Promise I won't tell your boss. " She said. He had the impression she was smirking.

He decided to ignore it.

" So ice cream, no ice cream? "

" No thanks. " She said.

" Why not? "

" Cause I said so. " She retorted. " Why does it matter to you why I'm having it? "

" Because depending on the answer, it will be important. " He said.

She sighed loudly.

" I'm terrified of ice creams, it's a real problem, look it up. " She said, in her tone that indicated she was messing with him and wanted him to know it. He knew her for such a short amount of time, and he had heard it enough to recognize it. " Pagotophobia. "

" Really? " He asked, curious. He took his phone out and searched for the word. " Would you look at that, so it is. "

" Told ya. "

" So, obvious fake self diagnosing aside, why don't you want ice cream? " He asked.

" It's against my religion. Like Muslims and smoking, you know? "

" Why don't you want ice cream? "

" I'm lactose intolerant, ice cream gives me explosive diarrhea. " She said, in a serious tone.

" Why don't you want ice cream? " He repeated the question, laughing a little.

" What's it to you why not? " She asked, appearing from under his car again. " You keep this up I'll mess this baby up so bad no mechanic will able so save her. "

He looked from her, narrowed eyes that he could see clearly because her hoodie had fallen back, then at the organized tool and car parts between the two of them. An idea coming to mind.

" No you won't. " He said.

" Yeah I am. "

He reached for the nearest tools, mixing them up and piling them on top of each other carelessly.

" Hey! " She exclaimed, sitting up and organizing the tools again.

" As I said. No way you're leaving an engine you're fixing, messy. " He said.

" Aren't you sure of yourself? " She asked.

" I am. I know a control freak when I see one. " He said. He had learned from observing Maria interact with the girl that this kind of comment worked with Bella.

" Wow, two minutes around me and birdie thinks he's an expert. " She said, laying back down and, again, going under his car.

" Yeah, I clearly don't know anything about what I'm talking about. " He said, silently pushing the tools out of alignment.

She was quiet for a moment.

" You messed with my tools again, didn't you? " She asked, making him laugh.

" I'll stop if you give me honest answers. " He said.

She appeared from under his car again, organizing the tools. He could see that she was thinking.

" Didn't know you had such a dairy obsession. "

" You know now. " He said.

She looked up at him with a smirk.

" I told you before that I don't want anything from Stark. " She said. " I may be forced to be inside here now, but I'm not going to be running around having 'ice cream' or whatever. I have more important things to worry about. I should be working. I need to be working. Not 'enjoying life'. "

" Why can't you enjoy life? " He asked.

She rolled her eyes and went, again, under the car.

It wasn't a lot of progress, but he made some.

" I mean, why live like this? Sleeping in abandoned buildings, not knowing when your next meal it's going to be. Not speaking about you getting kidnapped by sadistic serial killers. " He said. " You can hack into ATM's like it's nothing. You could get yourself a better deal- "

" It's not about getting a better deal. It's about doing what I have to do the way I have to do it. " She said. " We all have stuff we have to carry. "

" And what you have to do is force yourself into a horrible life? " He asked. " What are you carrying? "

He heard the sound of the tools, a long silence.

" None of your business, Birdie. " She said, in a sharp tone.

He had experience enough helping people to know when to stop.

* * *

She cursed Birdie for catching her off guard and getting her to talk more than she meant to. But she did manage to shut up after, and he did keep his end of the deal he proposed himself, after the car was done, they got in it, and he drove to the nearest city.

She was just happy to be out of that place. And his taste in music wasn't awful. Better than a lot of drivers she got rides from.

He drove for a while, until they reached one of the small towns that circled the area where the HQ was.

" Now what? " She asked, once they were out of the car. " You're the Tour guide of this thing, aren't you? "

" Now... " He mused, looking around. " Ha! How about we see some books? "

She had no better option and without any planning, running away wasn't an option. So she followed him there.

The smile he sent the woman who had a 'manager' tag on her chest told Bella that it wasn't the first time he had been there. And it had nothing to do with books.

" Dude, I am so NOT going to be your wing man. " She said to him as they walked to the fiction section.

" What? " He asked. " What are you talking about? "

" Buddy, you're nowhere near as subtle as you think you are. " She said. " I could practically see the drool. "

" I am just being nice. " He said.

" If you say so. " She said.

" I do. "

" By the way, she's totally checking out your ass. " She said. " You might want to tell her you're 'just being polite'. "

" Hey, I'm not shy. If she wants to check out the merchandise, who am I to deny her? " He said, lowly with a smirk.

" Gross. " She said. " Didn't know you had a thing for people watching you. Now I know why you became an Avenger. "

He chuckled.

" Just look through the books. "

" I'm more interested in finding bleach to get the knowledge of your weird kinks out of my brain. " She said.

Thank god, that conversation didn't continue, and it didn't get any weirder.

She barely remembered the last time she did anything for fun. The last time she read something because she liked it and not because she had to, in order to take out some criminal.

Her mom loved reading stories to her. Actually Bella was too impatient to wait for her mother to read, so they took turns doing the voices. The extra drama and sound effects coming from the girl. Not just kid books either, her mother read the classics. Including horror.

Bella had no idea at the time, when they were reading Frankenstein, that she would end up looking like the monster.

She adjusted her hoodie, making sure her face was covered.

It had been a few minutes already that Sam had stopped pretending that he wasn't there to flirt with the manager and had parked by the register and was talking with the woman. From the pieces of conversation she picked up, the woman knew he was an Avenger. Maybe she was one of those who loved celebrities. Because seriously, Sam was kinda fun and not horrible to be around (considering the company he kept) but 'dating' him? Ew. Just gross.

She turned her attention back to the books.

Was she even able to enjoy them? If she tried? To sit down and just ignore the world, drowning into another one?

It felt wrong to. She couldn't. She had to continue working. She had made mistakes in her life and had to pay them by continuing working.

She walked by all the halls, more the sake of taking more time than anything. She stopped in front of shelf that had books for kids and teens. They still had this amount of Harry Potter books for sale? They really did get popular huh?

She took the first book in her hand. Remembering reading it with her mom. Making the voices. She always liked Hagrid, he was that big man, that was stronger than all of them, but he wasn't what people assumed he was at first sight. He was a gentle soul. Maybe that was the reason she befriended Tiny so easily, he wasn't what people assumed he was.

She knew how it was, not being what one looks to be. Being a genius, such a young genius, it was living with people making assumptions about her. People looked at her, saw this tiny skinny girl. They thought she was nothing special. Then she opened her mouth. And boy, she proved them wrong. And that no, just because she was young, didn't mean she was a pushover or a tool to be used by others.

She loved making Hagrid's voice. Her mother always laughed when she did.

She felt the familiar pang in her heart at the sweet memory. She missed her mom. She missed her so much.

She missed how she sounded. She missed how soft she felt when she hugged her. She missed how comfortably worm she felt when she laid next to her and read with her.

She put the book back on the shelf, getting out of that session and went to the science session. She looked through the titles, sometimes leafing through one.

When she was done wasting time in that place, she moved towards the register.

" Are you done hitting on her? " She asked, startling the two adults. " Come on, get her number and let's scramble, we're loosing daylight. "

She didn't even wait for an answer, she just started moving towards the door, maybe she would get lucky and the man would take his time saying goodbye to his would-be-girlfriend, and she would get a few moments alone.

No such luck as she saw him appear next to her.

" Want something to eat now? " He asked. " It's getting late, we should be heading back soon. "

" I'm fine. " She said.

" Sure? "

" I'm fine. " She said, she didn't feel like eating. But she didn't feel like going back to the Avenger 'super-prison'. " Just feel like walking. "

" Alright then. We'll walk. "

" You can skip it. " She said.

" It's getting late and you're a kid. I'm the grown up and I'm keeping an eye on you. "

" I'm not that young, you know. " She said, rolling her eyes.

" No, but you're really small. Like too strong a breeze can blow you away. " He said.

" I'm tougher than I look. " She said.

" Seeing how tough you look, that is not that comforting. " Said Sam.

" Well, I survived three years on the streets. " She retorted. " That tells you all you need to know. "

" Yes, the medical records sure tell me a great picture. " He said.

Seriously, that guy was hellbent on getting on her nerves.

" That was called ULTRON, in case you forgot who dropped me from the sky. " She said with poison on her voice.

" I'm not talking about that. " He said. " I'm talking about all the times you got hurt before. "

" Oh come on- "

" And of course, let's not forget the very large note the doctors made about your malnutrition. " He said.

" What are you now? My nurse? " She asked. " Stop nagging me. "

" Fine. Not talking about it again. " He said. " I'm just taking a stroll with you. Then we're going back home. "

" Prison, sweet prison. " She said.

" Well, at least it has cable TV. "

" And denied internet privileges. " She said.

" Nothing is perfect. "

They walked around for a while, until Sam deemed time to get back.

She tried to hide it, but she felt walls closing around her the closer they got to the HQ. The large building getting bigger and bigger, the lights shining in contrast with the dark sky. She felt the urge to grab the steering wheel and turn it, but that would do no good, it was just going to kill them both. And she wasn't going to be responsible for his death.

" Here we are. " He said, after he parked. " Did you like the ride? "

" Of course, because my idea of fun is seeing you flirt with a woman who enjoys your ass. " She said with sarcasm, getting out of the car. " At least you didn't start making out and gave me reasons to drink bleach. "

" You're welcome. " He said, with a small smile. " I make a point of not permanently traumatizing teenage girls. "

She got out of the garage, going to the bedroom that they had told her to use. She needed to be alone.

She sat on the bed, looking around the space. The silence and stillness making her skin crawl and her heartbeat be heard without a problem.

She didn't know what to do next. Just sit there? Until she was about to crazyagain, andd she had to get out to do something? Then have all computers declared off limits? What she would do next? Fix all the machines in that place?

She had to stop her silent glaring of the room around her to answer nature's call. And since she was on the bathroom anyway, and she wasn't going anywhere soon, she decided to take a shower.

It was very hard to do all that in the dark, she still didn't want to stare at the mirror and avoided the lights because of it.

She found a robe in the bathroom, after feeling around for a bit on the drawers and put it on. It wasn't very large, like the one from the hotel had been, but it was still big. Good, it covered a lot of her.

She sat again on the bed.

" Now what? " She asked herself.

Time passed and she started getting restless again. She had to do SOMETHING! She was going crazy. She had to find ways to distract her mind from the people (one person) who was in that place too.

She looked around the shelves, seeing the books there. Should she read one? Just to pass the time and stop her from going insane?

She was living in a difficult situation, she wanted to avoid all things Stark, but she was in a place that was made of his things. What would she do? Lay in a corner and slowly starve to death?

She had changed the whole point of living to working, now she had people stopping her from doing it. Even a billion cameras.

She shook her head. She had to calm down. She was smart. More than that, a genius, she would find a way, eventually.

For now, she would take one of the books and read. Just to make her brain stop buzzing.

It had over 800 pages, good, a lot of distraction. Even better, she got tired half-way through and fell asleep.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

" Hi. Good morning. I was wondering if you wanted to talk- No, that won't work. She'll throw something at me. " A deep breath. " Okay, this is how it's going to be! " The voice started talking in a harsher tone. " You'll sit and listen to me. I'm not a monster and I'll show you. " A chuckle. " God this is just going to make her spit in my face again. "

Tony looked away from the mirror, turning back into his room.

" Why is this so hard?! " He exclaimed, sitting on his bed and laying back, his feet firmly on the ground, tapping on the rug from the saved up energy.

He shouldn't have spent the night drinking coffee mixed with sugar and energy drinks. But it wasn't his fault that was so disgusting it was addictive. He also had been working trough the night, and he was kind of on a roll he didn't want to ruin it.

" Okay, you're a freaking genius! You've always been able to navigate the flood of people that follow you around. This in one girl. ONE. " He exclaimed to himself. " You can do this! "

He rubbed his face, then letting his arms fall spread on the bed.

" How? " He said. " She hates your guts. And she hates your money too. So backup plan it's gone. "

He sighed.

" Why couldn't she be like a normal orphan and be happy when a long-lost parent shows up? " He said. " Of course, she is a Stark, escaping expectations it's on the genes. "

He was still for a long moment. His mind racing, as always.

" FRIDAY? "

" Yes, Sir? "

" The numbers you're running for the last gauntlet update? Try to change the wall thickness by three percent up. Run it again. " He said. He couldn't help it, his mind was always working, even when working on something else.

" Of course, Boss. " Said the female voice.

" It's Hill already in her office? " He asked.

" Still in her room. " Said the computerized voice. " Would you like me to let her know you wish to speak with her? "

" Says who I want? "

" My mistake, you had just been trying to figure out how to speak with your daughter and now asked about the woman who knows her best. I must have been crazy making the connection. "

He smirked at the soft and still sarcastic tone.

" No need letting her know. " He said, standing up. He like popping up on people.

" I'll let the infirmary know in case you get shot. " Said FRIDAY.

" Ha, ha. "

He left his room, not bothering with putting shoes on.

Not long after he knocked on the door, barely two seconds to be honest, he knocked again and again and again.

The door opened, and he was met with the sharp and very annoyed eyes of Maria Hill.

" What do you want, Stark? " She asked.

" You don't look surprised it's me. " He said.

" Who else would be this annoying? " She asked.

" Bella. "

" She doesn't seek people out. "

" Wow, you know her so well. " He said, with a side smile. " Taking advantage of that... can you help me out with something? "

She took a deep breath.

" Give me a moment. " She said, closing the door on his face.

He waited for a few seconds, then getting bored. In his defense he was still filled with caffeine. So he started tapping the door, in the rhythm of a song he was thinking about.

FRIDAY was right, there was a chance he would get shot.

He had his best innocent smile on when the woman opened the door with a glare that would make most people run for the hills in fear. But he wasn't most people.

" I could shoot you. " She said.

" Then you'll be out of a job. " He said, with a wide smile.

" Not if I aim for your kneecaps. " She said.

" I'll take my chances. " He said, moving out of the way for her to leave the room and following her down the hall.

" So, you want help with Bella. " Said Hill.

" Yeah, since you know, you kept a file on her for so long. " He said.

" And exactly what do you want? "

" How do I approach her without her running the other way or cursing me a million ways? " He asked.

" She'll curse you no matter how you approach her. " Said the woman. " She curses even people she doesn't mind, imagine you. "

" Right, but how do I actually... you know? " He said.

She sighed.

" Look, I want to help, really, but she has kind of an one track mind. " She said. " And I'm not a therapist. "

" But you knew about her, as she was on the streets, messing with dangerous people. " He said. " You did nothing. And you took days to tell me she was my daughter, after you found out, which led her to being unprotected when ULTRON took her, which led her to being held hostage by him. And being dropped from the sky, breaking almost every bone in her body and having to spend months in physical rehabilitation. "

She looked at him with a sharply locked jaw. It was a low blow, but to be fair, he wasn't sure he was ever going to forgive her for that.

" I just want you to use all this knowledge you have to give me a hint. Something. "

" Fine! " She said, turning to him. " I think that you two should lock yourselves in a room and only be let out if one of you ends up dead or if you two somehow get so thirsty and starving you start to hallucinate and made up. "

" Huh... " He said, making a show of thinking. " And how long will this take you wager? "

" Days. Uninterrupted contact with the girl who despises you. " She said. " Shock therapy. With a cleanup crew later. "

" Riiight. " He said. " Not really the best option. I do have things to do. "

" So does she. " Said Hill, turning back to the hall and continuing walking.

" No she doesn't. " He said, following her. " She's not messing with those criminals anymore. "

" Tony, I can't believe I have to spell this out for you. " She said, sounding tired. " What would you do if someone took away all your toys, all your machines, all your computers... everything? All that you can tinker and mess with? "

" Kill the person. " He said.

" What if you couldn't? "

" Eat a bullet. " He said.

" Exactly. " Said Maria. " She has your brain. Tell me what would happen if a brain like that, is refused usage? You would explode. Or worse. "

That would be bad. He couldn't spend more than a few hours without doing something without him feeling like his head would explode, that itch that could not be scratched away coming and making him mad.

" Sooo... "

" She needs something to do! " Exclaimed the woman. " Something challenging. Something to keep her busy. I don't know what because I have no idea what would be challenging enough for a brain like that. That's where you come in. And get out to let me do my job. Good morning and good bye. "

She left.

So he had to give her something to do. Something challenging enough to keep her brain obsessed, and she calm to not bite his head off.

" FRIDAY? " He asked. " I need to dig through my unfinished projects folders. "

" Should I let someone know you'll be unavailable for the next days? "

" No, let them wonder. "

* * *

 _Screaming. People begging for help. A city floating in the sky and a swarm of robots that flew around fighting, killing._

 _And one who carried her on his arms._

 _" Can you see? The beauty of it? " It said._

 _She wanted to scream that no, she didn't. But she had no voice. She tried to move, to get out of his hold, but her body didn't obey her command. She could only look and control nothing._

 _" We will forever change this world, Bella. " Said the voice. " A new world that will be expunged from all the things we hate. "_

 _She wanted to scream, but couldn't._

 _Then she saw, in an unnatural way, her sight allowed her to see clearly the figure on the street, the woman looking at her with tears in her eyes._

 _" Bella. " Above the sounds around her, she could hear her mother's call._

 _She wanted to go to her, to hold her. But still she didn't say anything. She didn't fight ULTRON._

 _" Why didn't you do anything? " Asked the woman. " Why it took you so long to say something? "_

 _The woman's beautiful face contorted in pain, as flames sprung into existence around her feet. Licking her legs._

 _" Why didn't you do anything? " She asked again, tears in her face, as the flames grew taller and taller. " WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME? "_

 _She wanted to scream, to jump, to cry. Still, her body did not move. Her mind yearned for things her body didn't seem to want to do._

 _" All of them Bella. They will all be expunged and the New World will be born. " Said the voice of ULTRON again, she looked at his glowing red eyes that seemed filled with blood. " See them? We did this. "_

 _The streets were no longer filled with robots and desperate people. The robots were all still and doing nothing, just looking at her. The people, they were all dead already. Their vacant eyes staring at her. Blood, smoke, fire, rumble._

 _She had seen a lot of death, in person and not. She could see all the details, all the injuries. She could see it all in horrifying detail._

 _Still, she could not move._

 _Could not say anything. Does not matter how much she wanted to cry. To scream._

 _Then the arms around her disapeared, and she fell from the sky._

 _"Bella. "_

 _She could not see where the voice came from._

 _Her eyes just rested on the city that now was falling, straight into the ground. On its way to kill the rest of humanity._

 _" Bella. "_

 _She had to have figured something out sooner. She was standing there for the beginning. And did nothing._

 _Like she had been there the night of the fire, to be able to do nothing to stop it._

 _" Bella. "_

 _" It will be perfect. " Said ULTRON. " They'll all see. "_

 _" Bella. "_

She woke up startled, confused, not knowing where she was. What made it worse was feeling something on her shoulder. Years of learned reflexes kicked in, she kicking and punching everything around her as she moved away from the hand.

" Get the fuck away from me. " She exclaimed, though she was sure not with the intensity she would have had she been totally awake.

" Bella. It's okay. It was just a dream. " Continued the voice, as her sight adjusted to being awake. " You're awake, it's okay. Everything it's fine. "

She finally was able to see clearly. The face in front of her was familiar, Blue eyes in a sympathetic and worried expression.

She remembered now. She was in the Avengers base. She was reading and had fallen asleep. So there was a reason why Rogers was looking at her like she was some kind of wounded puppy.

She was shaking, sweating and frankly still terrified.

Her stomach was churning too. Her head spinning.

She barely had time to place a hand over her mouth, jump out of the bed, thankfully Steve getting out of the way, and reach the sink before the clear liquid that was in her stomach made its appearance. She didn't have anything in her stomach, so there wasn't much to put out.

" Are you okay? " Asked the concerned sounding voice.

" Peachy. " She said, clearing her throat, not turning to him and not lifting her head as she leaned forward holding herself up with her hands on the sink. " What the hell are you doing here? "

" I heard you from my room- "

" You heard me all the way there? " She asked. Had she been trashing around and crying so loudly? Had everyone in this place heard it?

" Don't worry. I have enhanced hearing, so I don't think anyone else heard you. " He said, seeming to have guessed what she was worried about. " Do you need anything? "

She ran her hand over her face, feeling the wetness from the sweat and tears. She felt her chest burning with shame. Guilt. And a lot of embarrassment.

" Privacy. "

" Okay. " He said.

Her heart was beating too loudly for her to hear him walking away, but not to cover the sound of the door.

She finally turned back, checking and seeing that she was indeed alone.

She let her legs finally waver enough for her to fall down, leaning against the wall and sliding down. Her elbows on her knees as she gripped her hair with a lot of force.

All her mind was showing her was the image of her mother, burned, dead. The ugliness of the body clear in all details.

She cursed the world for her memory. For her inability to forget anything.

She was still on the floor, in the same position, when the sky cleared, indicating the start of a new day.

She felt the burn in her chest, she didn't want to cry anymore. She didn't want to need to cry more than she already had in her sleep.

She was so on edge she thought she would snap.

She had to do something. Anything. Distract herself from her emotions.

First she had to put on some actual clothes. Not just sit around in the thankfully well tied around her robe. She put on the first pair underwear, pants and the closest shirt to her hands.

She looks around the room. She doesn't want to go out there, and see people. She doesn't want to stay in either.

All the options were bad.

But she had to stop thinking about her mom. Her body. Her hollow burned out eyes starring at her soul.

Her mind flashes back to the pills she bought in Chicago.

She searches through the clothes she was wearing when she got there, finding a well hidden small plastic bag.

She takes the remaining pills, with a little of tap water. She reaches the bed in time to fall down. Not even totally on it, one foot out of it. Her head off the pillow.

She doesn't move as she waits for the drugs to make effect. She doesn't even think about the fact that she hasn't eaten in a while.

It takes longer than she wishes to for darkness to take over, specially with the amount of pills she popped in.

But eventually it did. In the darkness, she didn't see any ghosts. There wasn't any feeling of guilt.

* * *

Vision was worried about the amount of time Bella was spending in her room that day. He phased through the wall, ready for the yelling that would come. But none came.

All he saw was a drooling teenager on the bed. He thought about leaving, but it was late, she hadn't eaten anything. He was worried.

So he walked over, shaking her shoulder.

She didn't move.

" Bella, wake up. " He called, shaking her shoulder again.

She didn't move.

He was getting nervous. He checked if she was breathing, which she was.

" Bella! " He called louder. She fluttered her eyes, her mouth formed shapes, but no sounds. " Bella! "

He didn't need to think much to decide that this was weird and a travel to the infirmary was due.

He picked her up. She fluttered her eyes again and her mouth moved again. But still didn't wake up.

He took her to the infirmary, oddly enough not meeting anyone on the way, but it was good because it made the travel faster.

" She doesn't wake up. " He said, not even saying hi to the doctor in the room.

He placed her on the stretcher, letting the woman do her job.

He was about to ask FRIDAY to call Mr Stark, when the man appeared next to him.

" What happened? " He asked.

" She doesn't seem to wake up. " He said.

" Damn. " Said Tony.

" You seem to know what it is. " He said, looking at the man.

" My guess? Pills. " He said.

The doctor looked up at him for a moment, but instead of surprise, she seemed to see some sense in what he said.

" She was a long time taking pills for chronic pain. " Said Tony, answering her silent question. " Her doctors cut her off, but- "

" It's hard to quit after prolonged use. " Said the woman.

" Specially if you feel like you need the knock out. "

Vision looked at Tony, reading the meaning in his words, he sounded like he was talking about more than Bella.

" You two can wait outside. " Said the doctor. " This will take a while, and even so, she doesn't look like she's waking up soon. "

Vision had not noticed, but when he saw one of the nurses that were part of the staff, walking in with a rushed step, he knew that the doctor had called for help. But none of them looked very worried, so he guessed his standing here would do no good.

Besides, Mr Stark didn't seem to want to stay either, he turned around leaving and Vision didn't take long to follow.

" I can see your artificial synapses freaking out, so to reassure you, if it turns out to be pills, I don't think it was a suicide attempt. " Said Tony.

" Then what was it? " Asked Vision, a little reassured, but still worried.

" I don't know, I only know what I used it for. " He said.

" For what? "

" Sleep. " Said the man. " When you have nightmares every night, you crave to sleep without dreaming, just being knocked out. "

They walked for a little, not saying anything.

" Do you still do it? " Asked Vision.

The long silence was uncharacteristic for the man.

" Not in a long while. " He said. " Most of the times working myself to exhaustion is enough. "

" That is good. " Said Vision.

Tony laughed, shaking his head, the android not understanding what was funny.

" Sometimes, I love how your brain works. " He said.

" Thank you? " He asked, unsure.

" Oh, you're welcome. "

They reached the common living room that shared space with the kitchen. Tony moving towards the fridge and getting himself a bottle of water.

" Mr Stark, why are you here? " He suddenly asked.

" I'm thirsty. " He said, as if it was obvious.

" Not in the kitchen, but here, in the compound. " He explained.

Tony seemed to be thinking, as he took a long gulp of water.

" Why do you want to know? " Asked Tony. " I mean, I guess you have an idea, but why the question? "

Vision sat on the stool nearest Tony, looking at him.

" I have found myself with a lot of questions, about the nature of family. What it means. " He said.

" Family? " Asked Tony.

" Yes, Bella and I are connected, in a way. " Said Vision. " We owe our existence to the same person, you. She is annoying, but I care for her. Like a big sister. Who somehow is younger than me, in a way. I understand her experiences, when with ULTRON, because I understand him. "

" Okaaaayyy. " Said Tony slowly. Looking a bit uncomfortable.

" Since you are her father, and is here, despite not exactly being on active duty, I wondered why? You said you wanted her alive. She is here, is not going anywhere and definitely won't be putting herself in any more danger, at least of the kind her 'job' brought her. So why are you still here? " He asked.

" Well... She is my kid. My flesh and blood. " He said, after a long silence. " I'm used to having people hating what I used to be. The Warmonger. But... it's different with her. "

" Because she is related to you? "

" Yes. "

" But you only learned about her recently. "

" I did, but it doesn't make a lot of difference. " Tony sighed, rubbing his forehead. " Look, she's my responsibility. And she is in pain. A lot of it I caused. One way or another. Not only safe, she needs to get better. "

Vision nodded, not saying anything, encouraging the man, who usually didn't shut up, to continue talking about a subject he hated talking about. At least seriously.

" And... she's my kid. My flesh and blood. " He said, repeating himself. " And she HATES me. She despises me in every shape and form. I don't want her to. I don't care for everyone else, the idea of someone I share DNA with, continuing thinking that of me... "

" It pains you. " Said Vision.

" Well, it's doesn't tickle. " Said Tony, taking another gulp of water. " Did that answer your question? "

" Yes, a little. You are here to see if you can mend your relationship with her. "

" Yeah. Precisely, I'm here for the whole Dr Phil moment. " Said Tony. The funny comment indicating that the walls were raising around him again. " Just don't expect us to sob into each other arms at the sound of whatever royalty free song is more depressing. "

Vision smiled a little. There was something comforting on how Tony used those comments to avoid vulnerability. It was familiar. JARVIS had seen it a lot, so Vision also had seen it too, in his memories.

" So we're good here? " Asked Tony.

" Yes, we are. For now. "

" You know where to find me. " Said Tony, leaving the kitchen the way they came. Probably to return to the infirmary.

" Tony. " He called, thinking of another question.

" Yep? "

" If Bella is my sister, does that mean that in some level, you are my parent? "

Tony choked on his water, not turning to him as he coughed to get back his ability to breathe.

Vision stood up and walked over to the man, giving him a firm slap on the back, to help him.

" Ow! " Exclaimed the man. " That hurt! "

" Are you able to breathe better now. "

" Barely. " Said the man, stretching and arching his back a little.

Then, as he looked at Vision, he got a little uncomfortable, again.

" My question has disturbed you. " He said, not a question.

" No! " Said Tony, scoffing. " Nothing gets to me. It was just... unexpected. "

None of them found the lie very good.

" To be honest, I never thought about it. "

" Would you like time to do it? " Asked Vision.

" Yes. " Said Tony. " Look, I'll go be with Bella until she wakes up. " He said, taking a few steps back.

" Are you sure it's a good idea for her to see you first after waking up? " Asked Vision.

" Don't intent on staying after she does wake up, just while she's still out. "

Vision sees the man walk away. He wonders if, even if thinks about it, if Tony would speak with him about his answer.

Maybe it would be good to speak with Wanda about it. He liked talking to her.

* * *

Bella wasn't sure how long she was asleep for. She did know that for some reason her stomach was a little hurt and her throat sore. She also noticed how hard it was to wake up. Really hard. The darkness just didn't seem to want to let her go.

Eventually she did wake up.

And she wasn't where she fell asleep on.

How in the world did she ended up in the infirmary?

She looked around, her eyes landing on a very focused looking Tony sitting on a small bench and tapping fast on his Starkpad.

Why the hell was he there?

She tried talking, but her mouth was so dry, all that came out was a chocked sound. It also hurt her to talk.

He looked up fast, right at her. Then he lowered his Stark pad and swallowed dry.

She had the ability to throw a glare faster than anything. So she knew that there was one on her face now.

" Feeling okay? " He asked, standing up, but not approaching.

" Why do you care? " She asked, the sound came out, barely, but she felt the soreness, her hand raising to her throat.

He looked about to say something, but stopped, before starting again.

" You over did it with the pills, kid. " He said. " Vision couldn't wake you up. And he brought you here, doc had to get whatever pills you still had in your stomach out, so that's why you're a little sore. "

She had to admit she didn't even stop to consider the amount of pills she took, she was so desperate to stop remembering her nightmare, that she just took everything she had.

That didn't mean that her glare faltered.

" Right. " Said Tony. " Nice to see you're awake. I'll call the doctor. "

He left, leaving her annoyed with him, then annoyed at the doctor who came in. Great, another doctor.

The woman gave her a loooong lecture about the use of pills.

She didn't even bother arguing, she wasn't an addict, she just used it because she needed at times. She got what she wanted, didn't she? She fell into darkness, where her nightmares couldn't follow.

And now, the remaining haze that surrounded her, kept her calm.

" Can I get out of here now? " She asked, once the woman gave a pause in her speech.

The woman sighed and gave her a look that annoyed the hell out of Bella.

" This could have been serious. " Said the woman.

" But it wasn't and I'm ran out of them, so... " She said, getting of the stretcher. " Thanks, you really earned your paycheck today. "

" Miss Stark- "

" That's not my name! " She exclaimed as she marched out of the infirmary.

She was a little away, when she stopped looking around.

" Now what? " She asked herself.

Finding ways to fill her time was getting tough. Why couldn't they just get her a computer and let her work?

She didn't think more of working when her stomach growled savagely. She noticed that partially the haze was to blame on her lack of eating.

She moved to the kitchen, opening the fridge. There were so many options it was a little overwhelming really. She took a moment just starring.

Then she took a container that looked to have meatballs.

She took a fork, and sat on the counter, opening the container. Even cold, the smell made her stomach growl even more.

She stabbed one of the over sized meatballs and took a bite. Enjoying the well seasoned meat, even if it was cold.

She saw someone approaching, at least one time people did not sneak up on her in that place.

" Hi. " Said Wanda. " I see you approve of my cooking. " She said, with a small unsure smile.

" This is yours? " She asked, mouth full.

" I made it, but you can have it. " Said Wanda. " I ate a little of it yesterday. "

Bella didn't need any more permission than that, she just continued eating as Wanda walked to the fridge and got out a bottle of ice tea.

" It's my mother's recipe. " Continued the woman. " If you like it, I can definitely do more. "

" I'm good. " Said Bella.

" It would be no trouble really. I like to cook. Soothes me. " Said the woman, leaning on the island in front of the girl. " Maybe next time you can eat them while they're hot. Join dinner? "

" Not really into the whole traditional family dinner sitcom moment. " Said Bella.

" Never actually considered the people here as traditional family. " Said Wanda. " But having dinner together is kind of nice. "

" Good for you. " Said Bella.

" Or... maybe, if you don't want to eat around this many people, you can eat with one or two. " Said Wanda. Bella looked at her with a face that said 'Nah, no fucking way'. " Or not. " She added with a small laugh.

Wanda slowly sipped her drink as Bella ate as much as her stomach could take at the moment.

" What the fuck is so fascinating about me as I eat? " Asked the girl.

" I was wondering how you were feeling, after your visit to the infirmary. " Said Wanda.

" Great, does everyone know about it? " She asked.

" Vis told me. " Said Wanda.

" Vis? " Asked Bella.

" Yeah. " Said Wanda, shrugging a little. " He doesn't mind and I think it's cute. "

" The nickname or the one you're calling it by? " She asked, smirking.

" The nickname. " She said, blushing and folding her arms in front of herself.

" Riiiiight. " She said, smiling widely in a way she knew was annoying.

" I am not talking about it with you. " She said.

" So there is an IT to be talked and not talked about? " She asked smirking. " I'm just letting you know right off the bat that he's a precious little flower and you need to go easy on him. "

It was fun to see Wanda want to laugh and almost die of embarrassment at the same time.

" You still didn't answer my question. " Said Wanda, trying to move past her teasing. " How are you feeling? "

" Fine. They overreacted. " She said. " I told you, 'Vis' is very delicate and get's upset easily. "

" Yeah, right. " Said Wanda. " Look, do you want anything else with that? I think there's a salad left- "

" Fine, almost done. " She said.

" But you barely ate anything. " Said Wanda.

She rolled her eyes, great another one.

" I'm on a diet. " She said, batting her eyelashes in a sarcastic way.

" If you say so, but unless you're making a diet to gain weight, you're doing it wrong. " Said Wanda.

" Well, I don't believe I knew that you had studied medicine, Doc. " Said Bella.

" Again, I talk a lot with Vis. He talks a lot about you. " She said.

" Gossiping is more like it. " Said Bella to herself, looking down at the food.

" You are important to him, of course he speaks about you. " Said Wanda. " He doesn't mean to offend anyone. "

" Yeah, yeah. " Said Bella. " No one ever means any harm. "

She took another bite, feeling her stomach getting full. She placed her fork down, closing the container.

" Want something to drink? " Asked Wanda.

" Trying to get me drunk, Miss Maximoff? " Asked Bella.

" I meant some juice or ice tea, something like it. " Said the woman, with a side smile.

" I'm fine. " Said Bella, getting off the counter, placing the fork on the sink and returning the food to the fridge.

She thought about keeping the rest of the food with her to her room, like she did the rest of the time in the compound. But for as long as she had no idea how to get out of there, she may be better off keeping food that needed cool temperatures in the fridge.

" I already finished my training today, you want to do something? " Asked Wanda.

" Do you have a computer? " Asked Bella, turning to him.

" Yes. And I have a few games on it, but you can't hack into criminal's lives with it. " Said Wanda. " Okay? "

Technology. At her finger tips. Wanda was so naive.

" Fine! " She said, with a hard voice, as if it was a huge sacrifice.

As she followed Wanda to her room, Bella finally noticed that she wasn't angry. Well, she was, but not the way she was the other time she saw the woman.

Had she 'forgiven' Wanda? Could she forgive people, she didn't know, she never did.

Maybe it was just a matter not being able to handle being angry at anyone else in that place. There was too much going on already.

Should she force herself to be angry? Maybe, maybe not. All she wanted now was a computer.

* * *

Tony was back to his workspace, Bella was alright now, and he was still working on finding something that would be challenging to her. And interesting enough to get her to stop focusing on other things.

No weapons, though. He had the impression that she would never EVER work on one. And of course, it could be dangerous. Not to mention, it might not be very good parenting to have your teenage daughter work on one.

After a few hours, he found one that met the criteria and that he wasn't specially eager to work on himself.

He printed the sheets of unfinished math and half designed mother boards and wires. Then he went to Bella's room. He took a deep breath, knocking.

No answer came. He felt relieved and opened the door. He went in, placed the sheets on top of her desk and left.

Quick and easy job.

He was walking down the hall when he heard a laugh. Not unusual, people laughed. But he had heard the people who lived there laugh before, none sounded right. This was a female laugh, with a young tone to it.

He carefully stepped towards the sound, seeing Wanda's door open and two people sitting in front of the computer. Loud sounds of engines and music.

" How did you do this? " Asked Wanda, sounding amused and frustrated.

" Sorry, trade secrets. " Said Bella, the hoodie, it was her. And the voice, sounding smug. And happy. Actually happy. " I can't help being incredible in everything I do. "

" You're cheating. "

" Am not! "

" Then what are those tiny numbers and letters at the bottom of the screen? "

" It's part of the game. "

" It's not! I played it before! You're hacking into it and doing something. "

Bella laughed. It was the laugh. Her laugh.

He felt something lighter on his chest. She was laughing. She was happy. This place was not just making her feel trapped. This could actually be a good idea. She might be better here.

He remained silent and continued walking down the hall. In a better mood than he had been in for a while.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Bella had a hard time hiding it, specially with Wanda breathing down her neck, but to her advantage, the woman knew barely nothing of computers. And she didn't use controllers, but her keyboard to play the game. It allowed her to start the program before the game opened and run it using the game's connection.

The icing on the cake was the Stark pad that was barely visible under a pile of magazines and thin books.

Wanda sometimes looked away from the computer to take the bottle next to her and take a gulp of the ice tea. Check her phone. Bella took the chances to add information on the addendum she was creating to the game software.

It took some time, though not as much as it could, given the speed of the computer and the internet connection. But in the end, Bella had a backdoor to the woman's computer through her gaming ID. That she would access with the Stark pad she discreetly took with her when she left the woman's room, the woman fortunately with her back to her as she did it.

When she got back to 'her room' Bella locked herself in her bathroom, being relatively sure there were no cameras there and installed the game on the device. Then entering with Wanda's ID. She added the same extra code and accessed Wanda's desk computer through it.

A few more commands, and she had the Avengers systems and databases at her disposal. And FRIDAY, the electronic guard dog, would be none the wiser.

She smiled as she sat on the floor, facing the door, sometimes she had to give herself a pat on the back for being able to adapt in all sorts of situations.

" Bella, you truly deserve an award. " She said to herself.

Now, to read weeks worth of reports on weapons deals.

She had expected to be relieved to be doing this, but in all honesty, seeing all those things she missed, it gave her a sense of urgency. She had missed so much. She was so late!

Images of ULTRON flashes through her mind. Why was she thinking of that right now? She had to focus!

She looked over dates, seeing the increase, that she had predicted, in groups contacting weapons dealers, after Sokovia. She was right, of course, destruction to that level, made people scared, which made them do rash things.

So that was the reason for the flashbacks.

She wasn't shying away from what she had to do, she continued reading. A deep voice that sounded polite in her head. A tone that might be taken as concerned, affectionate even.

Why the hell did that freak her out so much? The fact that Ultron had been so nice to her? And hateful of others?

She shook those thoughts out of her mind, focusing on the report in German she had just opened, it wasn't her best language, she learned it by using the internet to translate reports, so she always had the translation tab open. The extra layer of challenge, made it easier to keep her mind focused on work.

* * *

Steve wasn't exactly hovering, but he did make himself aware of the times he saw Bella out of her room, also asking others if they saw her or not. It was his job as Captain, looking after people around him.

He had been hopeful at diner when Wanda said she played video games with her. But the next day came and the girl came out of her room once to eat a ridiculous small amount of food then ran back to her room.

Apparently the social interaction of the other day was an aberration, maybe to contrast with her problems with pills, that had freaked Vision and Tony out.

When diner time came, Steve had decided that enough was enough and went to her room. Knocking on the door for a while before the girl answered.

" What? " She asked.

" It's diner time. " He said.

" Congratulations, you can tell the time. " She said, in a sarcastic tone.

" Rude. " He said. Apparently he was the only one in this place willing to call her out on that. " And you're getting out of this room and joining us to have an actual full meal. "

" No, thanks. " She said, closing the door.

He knocked again.

" Go away! " Came the voice through the door.

" No. " Said Steve. " I believe that you have a meal schedule to keep. "

" I'm not hungry. "

" That is not what I asked. " He said, knocking again. " I'm not leaving, you know? "

" Good golly! " Came the expression, then the door opened again. " Now I know how you got selected to be in the super soldier program. "

A phone started ringing inside the room. The girl didn't move. Her face with an annoyed expression, pretty visible even under the hoodie she always seemed to wear.

" Aren't you going to answer? " He asked.

" No. I know who it is and I'm not talking to him. " She said.

There was one person who Steve knew that would want to talk to the girl and would need to call because he didn't live there. Tomas Perez, her uncle.

" He must be worried, wondering how you are adjusting. " He said.

" If he's so worried, he shouldn't have dropped me off in one of Stark's ego's latest cry for help. " Said the girl. " Normally people who are 'worried' about you, don't drop you in prison. "

Steve was starting to think that it would take a lot more than he thought to make her comfortable here.

" He didn't do that. " He said. " Like everyone else here, he is just trying to keep you from getting yourself killed. "

The phone stopped ringing.

She shifted in place.

" Look, how about we argue later? Food is getting cold. "

" Well, then you should hurry back. Don't let me keep you. " She said with a side smile.

" And you're coming with me. "

" No, I'm not. " She said.

He took a deep breath.

" Alright. "

" Great! " She said, with a fake smile, closing the door on his face, again.

He went to the kitchen, putting together two plates, then taking them, with the cutlery, and went to her room. Kicking the door lightly enough not to damage it, but consistently enough to annoy the girl into opening it again.

" Oh MY God! Whaaaaat? "

" Let's eat. " He said, entering the room.

" I'm not hungry. " She said.

" And again, I didn't ask. " He said, placing both plates on the desk. " What's this? " He asked, looking at a pile of papers with numbers he could not hope to understand and schemes.

" What? " She asked, getting closer. Then looking at the papers as if she had never seen them before. Taking them from his hand and looking over them with an expression very similar to her fathers when he was working on something challenging. " Huh. "

" You've been locked here for days, how did you miss these? " Asked Steve, looking at her with a half amused, half worried expression.

She didn't even look at him, she continued reading the papers.

" But how would you power it? " She muttered to herself.

Steve had the impression he had lost her attention completely. So he tried gently pushing her onto the chair behind her. Whatever there was on those papers, she got hooked by it strongly enough to sit down with no problem.

He took his plate and sat on the edge of her bed, looking at her focused expression as she read the papers.

" What is it? " He asked, hiding a smile when he heard her stomach grumble. Not hungry, right. At least the food smelled good enough to make her react.

" Sush. " She said placing some of the sheets on the desk, around the plate and holding others.

" I asked, What is it? " He insisted. Her manners needed some tuning, She was worse than Tony in a mood.

" A sort of portable and compact surgery center. " She said, half sounding like she was answering him and half talking to herself. " I mean, a computer that would control a portable and compact robot surgery center and surgeon. "

" Can computers do that? " He asked.

She scoffed, looking at him.

" Anything can do anything. " She said. " If coded it right. "

That certainty, that look of 'I know something you don't, and I mean worlds and worlds of stuff you don't'. It was Tony again.

" But... There's so much to be considered- " She said, turning back to the pages, muttering to herself for a while before taking the fork and eating a bite of the food as she continued reading.

Steve wondered how many times Pepper and others had done that trick of putting the plate near to get the stubborn genius to eat.

Suddenly she jumped out of her chair, fork in her mouth and looked around until she found a pad and a pencil. Running back to the chair and starting to write things fast.

Steve continued to eat, slowly. It was kind of amusing watching her work. He could almost see the incredible speed of her thoughts. Her hand was fast, writing down things he had no idea what meant, and would never know too. Those things, it was just people like Tony or Bruce who got, he was a soldier, albeit better than most, he was still just a soldier.

When he finished, she had eaten only a few bites, not even a quarter of the plate. He silently left the room, though he thought that he could have kicked and stomped his way out, and she would pay him no mind. He would come back for her plate later.

* * *

Bella didn't know how long had passed when she finally looked away from the pages in front of her and got up from the chair to use the bathroom. Doing coding by hand was sooo slow.

When she was done doing what she had to do and was washing her hands, she looked down to the tablet on the floor.

The tablet she was working on before she got distracted.

" Damn it. " She said, drying her hands on her hoodie.

She looked back at the table from the bathroom entryway, it was to blame on that stupidly fascinating project. And when did she eat half that food? She didn't remember doing it, though she was felling satiated. Maybe she did eat.

She teared her gaze away from the pages on the table, to look at the tablet, charging on the charger of her Stark phone (that was annoyingly not able to connect to the internet, a hand made change she could not change back without equipment she didn't have at hand now). She kept looking from one thing to the other for a while.

Maybe she could continue just until the tablet was charged.

Just a little longer.

She sat back on the table, taking the pencil and pad again.

The night passed and morning came. When Red finally knocked on her door she finally looked away from her work, body aching from the time sitting down in the same position.

" Up already? " He asked, again phasing through the wall. " Want to have breakfast? "

" Did someone make coffee already? " She asked. She could do with coffee. Lots of it. Glorious coffee. God, she missed caffeine.

" Your doctor said you can't have caffeine. " He said.

" And Dolly Parton used to say she didn't have any plastic surgery, not exactly true, is it? " She retorted, getting up from the chair and hearing her back creak. " But eventually she did come to her senses and admitted the truth and everyone loves her for it. How about we take a step towards that? I'll go to the kitchen and get started on the coffee. "

As she talked, she passed by him, leaving the room.

" Do people love her more for it? " He asked, confused, following her. " Why? "

" Honesty. People love it. Unless of course, you're a pervert or something. " She said, shrugging.

" Really? " He asked.

" Yeah. So, if you ever want a different nose or chin, don't be ashamed, own it. " She said, with a side smile.

" I don't believe I will have issues with that, thank you. " He said. " But what does this have to do with caffeine? " He asked.

" The doctor is in denial. He doesn't accept the truth. "

" What truth? " He asked.

" That if he wants me to stop drinking coffee, he's going to have to rip the full mug from my cold, dead hands. " She said, looking at him straight in the eyes.

He returned the gaze for a while.

" Your mind works in a very unique way. " He said.

" Thank you. " She said, turning back to the hall and continuing walking towards the kitchen.

" Not sure I meant it as a compliment. " He said, to himself and continued following her.

" When it comes to my mind, there are only compliments, Red. " She said, smirking at him.

" When it comes to your humility too? " He asked.

" Obviously. " She said.

She was right, she could smell the coffee when she entered the kitchen.

She moved straight to the coffee pot, but Rogers moved it away from her as she approached it.

" Hey! " She exclaimed.

" Good morning. " He said. " There's cereal and juice for you. "

" I've been up all night. I need coffee. " She said.

" And why have you been up all night? " Asked the man, with a tone similar to Tomas' when, at the time when she was living with him, he learned the same thing.

" Working on that stuff I found on my desk. " She said, looking around for a mug to serve herself coffee.

" All night? "

" That is what I just said, isn't it? " She asked, then looking at Vision. " I did say that? Didn't I? Or I imagined that? "

" You need sleep. " Said Steve. " It's not healthy- "

" God, I smell coffee! " Came the voice that made her scowl. " Thank you Cap, I've been working all through the night, I need caffeine... " Came in Tony, finally noticing her and the others looking at him. " Hi. "

" Good Morning, Tony. " Said Steve, with a judgmental tone. " Working all night, huh? "

" You say it like its anything new. " Said the man, confused.

Bella took advantage of the distraction and judging of Tony to reach for the coffee, serve her some and leave the kitchen with it, taking an apple on her way.

* * *

" Sadly, it's not. Nothing new. " Said Steve.

Tony didn't know why suddenly Steve was giving him grief about his odd sleeping patterns. The man was more than aware of it.

" Okay, so... caffeine. " Said Tony. Bella had left the kitchen quickly. " While I drink you can tell me the reason for the bad mood, Capsicle. "

" I believe you were poorly timed. " Said Vision. " Captain Rogers was just reprimanding Bella for staying awake all night working on some project. "

" So she started working on it, huh? " He asked, feeling good about giving her something for her to work on that wouldn't get her killed.

" Why are you smiling? " Asked Steve. " Kids need sleep. "

" You sound like Pepper. " He said, rolling his eyes. " But replacing kids for 'human beings'. This is progress! "

" Progress? " Asked Steve.

" She spent all night working on something that wasn't linked to criminals. That is good. " He said, with a smile, taking a mug and filling it with coffee, taking a sip. " Damn, you're allergic to sugar or something? "

" You know, you should consider setting a good example for her. " Said Steve.

" That's what I have you for. " He said, going to the cupboard and taking the sugar.

" It's not my job to be a good example for your daughter. " Said the super soldier.

" You're Captain America, it's your job to be a good example for everybody. Buuuut, because we're besties, you'll go the extra mile for Bella. " He finished with a smile, stirring the sugar into his coffee.

" Am I? " Asked Steve, with an exhausted tone, but with a side smile.

" Yep. " He said, taking a sip of the fortunately very sugary drink.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

When she got back to her room, Bella focused back on the tablet hidden in the bathroom. She had work to do and had been distracted long enough. And thanks to the Avengers' databases, she didn't need to hack into places anymore, so reading through the files was a lot faster.

She spent the morning there, eating the apple when the afternoon came. Her butt was hurting from sitting on the cold hard floor, sending waves of cold discomfort up her spine, but she was on a roll. She had a lot to catch up on, and unlike the day before, she was actually being able to work without her mind gifting her with flashbacks of ULTRON. She refused to admit to herself it was because she had used so much brain power on that project she found on her desk.

It was close to four in the afternoon when she read a name that made her stomach turn cold.

The Serpent.

It was not the cheesiness nature of the name that called her attention. The arms dealing world had A LOT of names like it. It was almost a rule to have a stupid name based on a predatory and/or venomous animal.

It was the fact that it was THAT name. The owner of that name was careful, very careful. Paper and electronic trails were avoided at all costs. The authorities didn't even have a gender to the person.

She had only seen that name once. One single time.

When she was investigating WHO had been the middle man between STARK industries illegal under the books weapons sales and the terrorists that blew up the market her dad had been killed in.

After all these years, at last she came into that name again.

The ice in her stomach froze her for long minutes. Until she was able to think again and the tablet in her hands was the only thing in her mind.

She read over the reports in a speed and urgency that boarded on the obsessive. No, not boarded, it was obsessive. Now that the freak had resurfaced, she was going to get him or her.

If it was the last thing she did.

* * *

Vision had things to do, he couldn't occupy himself with watching over Bella 24 hours a day, but he did manage to check in on her from time to time. For the last few days, every time he went to look for her, she was in her room and, oddly enough, always in her bathroom. She didn't look to be sick or anything, and he could never hear any odd sounds, so he guessed she was just spending time there.

Why, he had no idea.

He just knew that, when he called her to eat, she grabbed a lot of food and went to her room again. No socializing with anyone else.

At least she was eating.

But enough was enough, she had to talk to people. Reason why he knocked on her door incessantly, threatening to phase through the wall, until she agreed to have dinner with them.

It took A LOT of time knocking, but he did get her to get out and follow him. Saying it was dinner and nothing more.

He noticed the thoughtful look on her face, like she was walking next to him but her mind was someplace else. He had seen that expression before, when he saw her on a computer.

She barely noticed the others in the kitchen as they grabbed the food and sat on the dining table.

She grabbed a plate and sat on the nearest chair to her, which was next to Natasha. Still, she talked to no one.

Steve and Tony were the only ones missing, because the soldier was trying to get the man away from his lab to eat something that wasn't junk food.

Vision didn't eat, didn't need to, but he sat on the other side of the girl to enjoy the talk, that Bella didn't seem the least interest to. The fork went to her mouth and out without the girl changing her expression, she gazed into the middle of the table, but didn't seem to be focusing on the meat that was there. She was thinking of something else.

Finally, Steve and Tony walked in, the billionaire looking uncomfortable and ready to have something thrown at him, but Bella didn't even notice him. Or at least didn't seem to.

Steve looked like he was about to call her, but thought better of it. Maybe it was best not to interrupt her in her 'not cursing Tony' moment.

The two men sat down and the conversation continued between the adults as the girl showed no sign of listening to them.

It helped that Tony was on the other side of Vision and not in her line of sight. He was also not talking because he might not be in his lab, but he had a tablet with him and was working on it.

Vision laughed silently. The man had the very same expression that his daughter did at that moment. He also ate without paying attention to what he was doing. He could be eating anything at that moment and Vision doubted he would notice a difference.

He stopped comparing the two when Wanda called him from her spot across from him, telling him that she had found a band that she had adored and wanted to give him the name of, so that he could tell her his opinion. He told her he would love it. He adored discussing things with her. Specially music, she was very passionate about it and her eyes sparkled when she talked about it.

It seemed like too little time when Bella got up from her chair, taking the almost empty plate and left the room.

He considered following her, keeping her in someone's company at least, for a little while longer, but she did manage to be in the same space as her father without blowing a fuse, so he called it enough progress for one day.

When he looked back at the table he saw the small smirk on Sam's face and thought that maybe the man was thinking the same thing.

* * *

She had poured over all the possible agencies' reports on that particular deal that was about to happen soon, or so the 'whispers' said. It was all too in the dark. She had to find a way in. A weak spot to start pulling a thread through. Some link in the chain always got careless with their electronics.

She was still trying to figure out who was the weak link when Vision dragged her to have dinner with the others. She was glad that they didn't talk to her directly, and she was so focused on her work, information running through her mind, that she barely noticed the space and people around her.

It took her hours, going through all she could think of, to find a link that she could start pulling.

The right-hand man that worked for the General who was supposedly buying the weapons from the Serpent had a steady girlfriend he couldn't live without, apparently. And she loved social media.

God Bless Selfies.

She sat back on the bathroom floor and started using the tablet, fortunately high quality, to hack into her accounts, getting the GPS tags information. Easy step taken care of.

Now she only had to track the movements and see which cell numbers repeated themselves near her. And she had to be prepared for changing numbers, a man who was buying guns from the black market was not above rotating numbers in a regular basis.

She took a mental note to track the woman's text messages too. She would bet that the man and woman exchanged them regularly.

She just hoped that tablet didn't fry before she got what she wanted. It was high quality, but it was still a tablet, desk and portable computers had a lot more juice.

Hours of work later and a lot of 'Ugh, god that gross!' later (the couple loved 'sexting') she had a very good idea of the movements of the woman and the phone numbers she 'sexted' with.

Now to hack into CCTV's to see if she could catch any meetings taking place.

* * *

Sam had seen signs of insomnia many times in his life. A lot of times in himself, though not for a long time. He had learned to deal with the things that kept him up at night.

He recognized a mile away the 'zombie walk'. When people are awake for so long that you start wondering how are they still standing.

From how Bella was shaking and moving her fingers fast, she was functioning on caffeine (that she was still managing to get, even though her doctor forbade it). She was wearing the same thing she wore the whole of last week and smelled like she hadn't been showering. She wondered into the kitchen while knocking into things like she hadn't either seen them or hand't been able to avoid them.

" Geez, kid. When was the last time you slept? "

She startled, as if she hadn't seen him RIGHT NEXT TO HER.

" What? " She asked, her hoodie down, but when she looked up at him he could see her bloodshot eyes.

" When was the last time you slept? " He asked.

She took a moment looking at him.

" Do you have any aspirin? " She asked, ignoring his question.

" Not on hand. You can ask the doctor in the medical room. "

She looked away from him, looking towards one of the doors with a thoughtful expression.

" It's actually that way... in case you can't remember. " He said, pointing to the door opposite to the one that she was looking at.

" I know that! " She answered, irritated. None of the sarcastic comments and funny nicknames.

She was really tired.

She turned around and started walking towards the door he indicated, apparently she had forgotten to grab something to eat or drink.

Seriously, when Steve and Tony asked him to help with Bella, he didn't know it would be this much.

" Wait up, I'll go with you. " He said, putting down the bowl he had been eating from. " From the way you're walking you might drop down a flight of stairs or something. "

She didn't give any sort of answer, funny comment or sarcastic mean spirited muttering. Sam was surprised she was still standing.

He had been right to follow her, she made a wrong turn on the way, and he had to nudge her back to the right path.

He also stayed on the door as the doctor gave the girl the aspirin. And proceeded to glare at the obvious lack of interest to any sort of healthy sleep cycle. But instead of telling the girl all she thought about it, the woman said for her to take the medicine 'in the dosage she prescribed' and go immediately to bed. And after she woke up, the girl was to eat a good meal.

Bella left without a comment, swallowing the pills dry and Sam said that he would make sure that she got back to her room, and not some broom closet on the way.

She was rubbing her forehead on the way. Clearly feeling the painful effects of not sleeping for a long period of time.

" You didn't answer. How long since you last slept? " Asked Sam. " Hey, how long? " He insisted, after the long moment of no answer coming.

" Depends. " She muttered.

" On what? "

" What day is today. " She said.

Sam stopped, seeing she walking down the hall. He sighed audibly and rubbed his eyes with his hands. He wasn't even the guy who had sex with a stranger, why was he now parenting her. Because now, there was no way he wasn't going to make sure she went to bed.

After stopping her from making another wrong turn on the way to her room, he saw her go in, but didn't let her close the door.

" Bed, okay? You look like shit run over. " He said. " I'm serious. "

" I'm fine... " She said, drifting off. " I'm fine. "

" Oh yeah? " He asked, folding his arms in front of himself. " What's my name? "

She looked at him, thoughtful. Or as thoughtful as she could get while almost falling over from exhaustion.

" Damn. " She finally said.

He smiled, feeling victorious.

" Yeah. " He said. " Good night. "

She didn't say anything, just finally managed to close the door.

" Friday? " He called, looking up. Because it felt weird to talk to 'someone' and not look at them.

" Yes, Mr Wilson? " Asked the AI.

" Monitor her, okay? Make sure she sleeps and let me know when she wakes up. " He said.

" I can activate a Sleep Impaired Stark Monitoring Protocol. " Said the AI.

" What's that? " He asked, walking back in the direction of the kitchen.

" A monitoring protocol Miss Potts implemented after Boss passed out from exhaustion with a soldering iron still turned on in his hands. " Came the answer. " To monitor Boss' sleeping habits. "

" That... sounds like something she would need to do. " He said. He hadn't seen himself, but he knew that it sounded exactly like Tony.

" Should I follow her doctor's dietary specifications to choose the take out to order after she wakes up? " Asked FRIDAY.

" Sure. " He said. " And... let Vision know not to wake her up with his usual disrespect for walls, okay? "

" Of course, Mr Wilson. " Came the answer.

As he walked back to the kitchen and took the bowl of sliced fruits back, he thought about whether or not he should call Pepper and ask her for tips. He was good with damaged people, but geniuses were 'eccentric', she had experience with the weird stuff they did.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

She had to admit that she may have been a little too optimistic in thinking she could go on without sleep that long. Specially due to her feeling constant exhaustion, that she was sure it came from being constantly emotionally stressed. The best she ever did was manage not to pass out after three whole days and withstanding a little of the forth. A whole four days with a little of five was too much. Proof? She forgot Birdie's name, even if momentarily.

She should also think that the walls of her room weren't changing color as she looked at them, she was hallucinating. Or her eyes were so tired they weren't registering color properly.

She had no idea for how long she slept. From how hungry she was and how badly she needed to use the bathroom, it was a LONG time.

Still, she was tired.

Not to mention she would need to revise the last hours of work, she couldn't let her malfunctioning brain ruin her chances of catching the Serpent.

She had only three weeks until the sale was finalized. She couldn't let that slimy arms' dealer get away.

After using the bathroom, and taking a shower to see if she could relax her muscles that were a bit sore (the high temperature of the water and the lack of food in her system making her a little dizzy), the next urgent thing made itself known. Food. Now.

She put on the first thing she saw in the closet, a pair of dark blue sweat pants, a long sleeved gray shirt, socks and a dark blue hoodie jacket.

It annoyed her that all the clothes were on her actual size, instead of her loved oversized ones that hid her skinny body. She had noticed that the closet had very few options that were good at hiding her legs and arms.

At least on Tomas' house she could borrow his hoodies and jackets. She refused to let herself think that she liked using them because the man used the same brand deodorant than her dad did. Just remembering that fact when she was wearing them was too painful.

She left the room, moving to the kitchen. The sky was dark, so she probably slept through the night and the next day. Explained how hungry she was.

Sounds came from the kitchen, making her roll her eyes in anticipated exhaustion. Why couldn't she just be alone?

Better yet, why didn't people listen to her when she told them to leave her alone? That her life was her own and that they should just let her decide how it went on? That she just wanted to remain alone?

She forced herself to stop thinking about it, at the moment, when she had still no idea how to disappear, it would do nothing but to give her headaches.

She took a deep breath, then passed the doorway to the kitchen.

Two people there, Sam and Steve. Great, the two nannies of the group.

" You're looking better. " Said Sam, with a small smile. " Good evening. "

" Bella. " Greeted Steve.

" Hey. " She said, moving to the fridge.

" FRIDAY made a take out order for you. " Said Sam. " It should be here soon. "

She stopped, hand on the fridge, then turned around to face the two men who were drinking some green stuff.

" Why? " She asked. Why the hell was Stark's watchdog ordering food for her now?

" Because it takes time to get all the way over here, it's not like we're in the middle of the city, you know? " Said Sam, with that stupid friendly smile of his.

" I'm well aware of how in the middle of nowhere this freaking prison is. WHY is FRIDAY ordering food for me?! " She asked, with a tight low tone that was a lot more aggressive than her usual, which was saying something.

There was a pause for the two men. She could almost see their brains ticking as they tried to figure out why she was angry.

" We wanted to make sure that you had something to eat when you woke up. " Said Steve. " You were in a pretty bad shape. And we were not sure there would be something that matched your diet when you eventually woke up. So we had FRIDAY monitor you, so she could order it when you did, you know, wake up. "

" Mon- " She didn't even finish the word, she lost her breath, her hands closing in fists as she became overwhelmed with anger.

" In hindsight... maybe that was a bad idea. " Said Sam, exchanging a look with Steve.

She laughed. It wasn't a normal laugh, it was an 'I can't believe this is happening and I can't believe I'm surprised it did happen' laugh. If she was listening to someone else and they laughed like that, she would stay clear of the person. It was crazy people laugh.

" YOU THINK?! " She yelled.

She wanted to throw something, to hit them. To freaking blow them up. It was dangerous territory to go, mentally speaking. Not because she could beat them physically (that was a hilarious idea) but because, for someone with her intellect, there wasn't anything she couldn't do, given enough time.

Just like she would someday escape this place, she would definitely be able to hurt them. Bad. All she needed was a computer or some electronic parts and there wasn't anyone on the planet she couldn't get to.

That certainty that there wasn't anyone she couldn't kill was the main reason she had her most sacred rule so firm in her mind. Killing is unforgivable. Having other's lives on your conscience is the worse thing to have. The more names you had there, the worse of a person you were.

Because it meant you were becoming just like the people who ruined her life.

She turned around, breathing fast and getting the hell out of that kitchen.

She had to get out of there. She knew that she wouldn't get far, but she had to breathe fresh air. She had to be outside this place.

MONITORING HER SLEEP? Did those people really had no idea how creepy, invasive and disgusting that was?!

This was all on Stark, he had this ridiculous idea that those people were in any way equipped to 'guard' her. Not mentioning that they had nothing to do with her.

She couldn't believe Tomas had agreed to this. Not giving up on her, despite her requests, was one thing. But this... this was bad in theory, the reality was shaping up to be infinitely worse.

She was breathing hard, tears in her eyes from how she was BURNING with rage. She got in her bedroom-equiped cell just to catch her cellphone, then left.

Despite her empty system that made her weak, she rushed through the halls, out of the 'living wing' and into the administration wing. She didn't give a second glance to the people around her.

A pull in her stomach was like a safe line to heaven when she arrived at the first floor and there was a man walking towards the front door. The door opened for him. She rushed and passed through the entryway before it could close.

He gave her a weird glance, but she didn't care. She was outside. The dark of the sky wasn't much of an obstacle because the whole area was well illuminated. Her feet were silent on the ground, because she was in socks, but nothing mattered.

She walked straight ahead, passing though the cars and going straight to a wooded area that was ahead, before the road. A little dark, but not enough for it to be a real issue.

She typed fast on her phone, her hands shaking. Her breath pretty audible at this point.

There was only a few rings until the person answered the call.

" Bella, hi! I mis- "

" I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THIS TO ME! " She screamed at the man on the other side of the call.

" Bella, pequeña, what's wrong-? "

" DON'T you call me that! Don't you dare call me that! The man who called me that, he was my friend! " She continued yelling. " He wouldn't have dumped me in this place! With people I hate! That control everything in my life! I HATE IT HERE! "

She was starting to cry, she was so angry that she could not stop the tears.

" I hate it here. " She repeated. " They don't get it. You don't get it. No one gets it! "

Her mind flashed to the Serpent. For the first time in years, the creep had resurfaced, and she HAD to get this bastard. More than she ever had to do anything.

She had to take a few minutes breathing, sobbing now.

" What happened? " Came the concerned voice.

She didn't want to tell him. At the same time as she wanted to climb through the phone and allow herself to be comforted. Tell him all that was wrong.

She had people that were always there for her, once. She had unconditional love. It crushed her beyond repair to lose those people.

She couldn't allow herself to be hurt like that again, couldn't have people she could lose.

" Like you care! " She exclaimed, instead of telling him how hopeless she felt. Powerless. Violated even.

" Bella, I care. I do. " Tomas said, his voice filled with emotion. " I'm worried. I called every day, Tony, Miss Hill and Mr Vision probably hate when they see my name on the phone, because I call so much. It is killing me not knowing what is going on. I just... want you to be safe. " He sighed. " Safe from those people. People I KNOW are capable of... horrible things. " He said.

She continued crying, allowing herself to fall back on her ass, the dirt not being compacted enough to hurt her too much on the impact.

" I was mad at you. " She said. " But now, now I hate you for doing this to me. You were dad's best friend. How could you betray me like this? "

" I never meat to hurt you, pequ- "

" DON'T. " She interrupted him.

" I never meant to hurt you, Bella. " He said. " I just... I didn't know what else to do. "

" NOT dumping me with Stark was the first thing you had to do! " She exclaimed, trying not to add embarrassment from crying and sobbing like that, to the emotional roller coaster she was experiencing.

" What choice did I have? " He asked. " I'm not smart enough to stop you from running away and getting yourself involved with criminals who kill people just for fun, not mentioning when they are angry at them. "

" So you decide to dump me with the guy who built the weapon that KILLED my dad?! " She screamed.

" What? " Came the soft question.

She knew it the moment she said it. She shouldn't have said it. She stopped, looking up. Eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

" What did you say? " Came the still soft tone.

She spent years hiding this from him. Not wanting him to have more on his shoulders. He believed in 'AMERICA'. Was a true patriot. This would crush him. His best friend, killed by one of the most 'patriotic' companies in his beloved country.

Not mentioning that he believed that George's death was tragic, a casualty of war, but resolved. He had been said that the bomb had been built by the terrorist that had been tracked down and killed by another division that was deployed at the time. All responsible people were taken care of, at least that was what he thought.

Used to think.

She stopped, even stopped her breathing for a moment.

" Bell- "

She finished the call. Fast. Breathing hard again.

She stared at the phone, starting to cry again. She startled when it started to ring again.

She hurled it at a tree, which immediately stopped the ringing.

She hugged her legs to her torso, resting her head on her knees. She couldn't stop crying, could barely breathe from the sobbing, and she was felling dizzy from being without food for so long.

She just wanted to be gone, disappear completely from her own life. At the same time as she wanted to do WHATEVER it took to find the Serpent. And would strip that person of everything it had in its miserable monstrous life.

* * *

Tony had an alert to let him know whenever Bella left the compound without someone with her. Just in case she wanted to disappear again.

When he saw the camera feed, he knew she wasn't running away, she didn't even have shoes on. But it did make him wonder WHY was she leaving the compound, at night, without even stopping to get shoes.

He should do something. But what?

He was there to see if he could fix his relationship with her. But he the only thing he had ACTUALLY done to solve anything was leave a project on her desk. Which he thought she was working on, given that Sam told him about her battle against sleep.

Still, he had to do something else, hadn't he? Not mattering how freaking terrifying it felt to look into those eyes and see the hate she had for him. God, every time he saw those eyes he felt a knife in his stomach. He had flashbacks of Howard, the way he HATED seeing the man doubled over his work, his obsession with finding Rogers. Or just the way that, even when he was there, he wasn't.

Okay, remembering how people with his last name were horrible as parents, didn't exactly help with deciding if he should talk to her or not.

After a very long time sitting on his chair thinking of the pros and cans, he decided to stand up and go towards where she was, or as much as he managed to go until he lost his nerve.

As he walked, he silently psyched himself up. He was Iron Man. He had defeated aliens, a demigod who had read way too much Shakespeare, terrorists and crazy enhanced flammable people.

He could do this.

He WAS doing this.

Totally.

He left the compound, moving in the direction she took.

He was partially equipped for this, it could be worse. At least he already knew how bad it could be.

He continued towards the wooded area because he couldn't see her on the long straight road that led out of the compound.

He continued. He was Iron Man. He was awesome. He could do this.

He slowed down his pace. Being as quiet as he could.

He heard a sound.

Oh, god, she was crying.

He wasn't equipped for THIS. Abort mission! Abort! Turn around and run for the hills. To his safe lab that was free of crying teenage girls. In California.

He stopped. His mind, usually so fast in reaching the answers to his questions, was confused. He didn't have the skills or knowledge to face this situation.

What would someone else, better at parenting, would do in this situation? Well, good parents wouldn't be this hated by their kids right?

Peppers voice came to his mind. 'You need to let go of your issues with Howard'.

He took a small step forward. Then another.

He saw the small shape, sitting on the ground, hugging her legs, face down on her knees. He looked around, seeing the smashed phone on the ground in front of a tree.

He looked back at her.

Interrupt her? No, he wouldn't like it if it was him, and she was a lot like him. Reason they didn't get along.

He would want whoever it was that caught him in an emotional state to turn around and leave. Not making him or herself known.

He didn't turn around, he just stood there.

Eventually the sobs died down and she was still. After a long moment, she looked up, ahead. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for what was coming.

She looked to the side and saw him.

Rage flared in those red rimmed and tired eyes. Her will was always very clear not mattering how tired or hurt she was. It was a very impressive skill.

Her hands gripped the material of her pants.

" What did I ever do to you? " She asked. In an aggressive tone. " What did I do to have you do this to me? Just kill me already and stop this slow torture. "

She got up from the ground, not even seeming to care at the dirt stuck to where she was in contact with the ground. Her movements were slow, and a little shaky.

" I don't want to torture you. " He said. And he was NOT emotional. Thank you very much. Howard's voice echoed in his mind 'You need to be strong, Tony. Stop crying. Stark men don't cry. Not unless they are willing to be made fools of. So dry your tears and never let anyone see you crying again'. " I just... want you safe. "

She smirked, it was bitter, and it showed how little she believed him.

" I was safe in my home. With my mom and my dad. " She said, her tone even, as if she was too tired to cry or yell. " But you had to make that weapon, didn't you? "

He had expected it. He in some way even believed he deserved it.

" I'm sorry. " He said. Hoping that his voice conveyed how much he meant it, because he did. Hell, he did. Ever since she told him, he hadn't been able to sleep properly.

The words had the opposite reaction he wanted. She looked like she had been slapped in the face. Shocked.

" How dare you? " She whispered, loud only enough for him to hear it. " You don't even remember her. She was just a blank drunk night of banging the nearest pair of legs around you, when you were 'in the mood'. "

The tone of her voice was sharp enough for him to 'feel' it.

" You never met him. Just like the thousands of people you murdered with your weapons. You never looked in their eyes to see the lives you were gonna take. HIS life you took. My Dad's life. " She continued. " How can you be sorry? "

" I AM sorry. " He insisted. " Because I can see you and I know you're in pain. "

He was not getting emotional. He was not getting emotional. He swallowed to keep his voice from cracking.

" I made mistakes. " He continued, she rubbed her eyes with her left hand. An artificial hand that was only there because of an AI he built. " And I never wanted you to suffer because of them. I sit at night and I go over all the 'what if's'. What if Emma told me about you? What if I knew what was going on in my own company sooner? What if I never started making those weapons in the first place? Like I wanted to when I was young. " She looked at the ground, breathing faster. " I am sorry. I'm your father, it's my job to make your life safer, not to tear it apart. "

" You're not my father. George Allan, HE was my father. " She said, looking up at him with that fire in her eyes that never seemed to be put out. " HE was the one who taught me how to ride a bike. HE was the one who take care of me when I got sick. HE was the one who would stay awake at night with me, helping me build my computers. HE was my dad. And YOU killed him. " She swallowed dry, hands in fists at her sides " Saying you're sorry doesn't cut it. You can't just come here and pull some fabricated lie your PR came up with, and expect me to buy it. " She took a few steps towards the compound. Stopping and turning to him again. " Do you have any idea what's like to have your mother look you in the eye and hear her say that the love of her life, the man you looked up to your entire life, a man you adored, was killed by the guy whose blood is in your veins? To just KNOW that you can't escape it? To know that no matter what you do, where you go... how many weapons dealers you help catch, you will always have HIS BLOOD in your veins? "

Her eyes weren't tearing up anymore, he guessed she cried all she had to cry. But he could see, now that she was too emotional to cover or that she was just too tired to hide her emotions with sarcasm or pure aggression, the depth of hurt in them.

" No, I don't. " He said. " And it wasn't a lie. It isn't a lie. I AM truly sorry. More than I ever been sorry in my entire life. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I made mistakes, they can't be forgiven, I know that. But that doesn't mean I WISHED for any of it to happen. I didn't know. "

He felt a burning behind his eyes. He struggled to keep his eyes dry. His voice without cracking.

" I know you don't want to listen. You probably don't want me to be telling you the truth. But I am. I didn't mean for any of it. I didn't know what was happening. And the things I did after I realized it, I did try to repair my mistakes, because that's the only thing I can do. What other choice do I have but to try to do something about it? " He remembered clearly as if it was that day, the time in that cave, talking to Yinsen. 'It's this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? Your life's work, in the hands of those murderers!' Was this his legacy? Could he really not escape it? No matter how hard he tried, tried and tried. Everything he did, either didn't make a difference or made it worse. He was cursed, death followed him. He tried to hide it with flashy cars and blaring music, beautiful women and generous donations, expensive suits and perfect smiles. It did a good enough job for most people. But not the ones that mattered. " You think I'm enjoying this? I'm not a sadist or a masochist. You think I enjoy looking at your face, my daughter's face, and seeing loathing? Seeing this much pain? I know you have every right to hate me, but that doesn't make me the monster you think I am. "

That got her, somehow, angrier. If she was as much like him as he already knew she was, she was going to start talking and not stop. Make her point by speed talking.

But he had started and he wasn't done.

" I listened to every single one of your verbal assaults, and deserved as they were, I'm done. You're listening now. " He said, in a tone of voice that he hoped wasn't coming out as aggressive, but only assertive. He didn't give her time to do anything as he continued with his own speed talking, since it was too, his preferred method of making his point with stubborn people. " From the moment I heard about you being my daughter for the first time, that was the same time that you had already been kidnapped by ULTRON, I hadn't had a single night of restful sleep. I worry every single minute of every day. I literally have an ulcer. That's not something a monster would do. A monster would not give a damn. A monster would have let you die in Sokovia. Would have let you end up in whatever hospital they put you, wouldn't have sent you to a place where you could heal from your injuries properly. Actually get people working on your physical rehabilitation. Wouldn't have updated the security in Tomas' place. In hopes, you would be there. No, but I did. A monster wouldn't have turned days without sleep every single time you ran away, worried sick if you had gotten killed or something. Wouldn't have rescued you when you got yourself kidnapped by sadistic torturing serial killers. Wouldn't have brought you to this place, the only place with a security system that actually is able to keep you from running again. Wouldn't have bothered to make your room as comfortable as possible, wouldn't have asked Tomas what you liked to put there. I cared to do these things. I care! The only reason I am here is because I care. I care if you're dead or alive. If you're okay, fed, clothed and warm. Because, for some crazy reason, I don't want my own blood to despise me and that maybe, just maybe, if I hang around for long enough you'll see all this! "

Bella looked about to punch him in the face.

" No. " She said, simply, raising her shoulders a bit. " Just no. "

She started walking away again.

" No, what?! " He asked, turning to look at her retreating back.

" NO! " She said, turning around. " You're not going to do this. "

" Do what? Be honest? "

" I'm not falling for that. " She said.

" Falling for what? Why would I trick you? " He asked. " What would I possibly have to get from it? "

She stared at him for a second, then turned around and walked back to the compound.

" Bella. " He called. Again and again, she didn't stop or answered.

Well, that was an awful experience all together. The look in her eyes as she told him about her mom. But at least he talked right? She looked tired enough to at least listen and not interrupt him. She listened to him make his case, or at least start to.

Or maybe that was him being too optimistic.

* * *

She made her way back, this time willingly letting those walls close around her. Because really, she wasn't getting far in the clothes she was wearing without ANY supplies.

How dared he?! How dared he look so... human?! Sound so hurt?! NO! HE had no right! He couldn't have!

Her sanity was on a very delicate balance for a few years. Things had been put on the exact same place and light she needed them to be in order to keep going. Then that MAN came along and startled to juggle everything! Taking everything from its place and making her worse than she had been in years!

Back in her 'room' she saw a plate on the table, with a glass of juice and the cutlery next to it.

If she had any tears left in her body, she would have cried. The way she was, exhausted, dehydrated, starving, angry, guilty over Tomas and all the other things that were on her mind, all that happened were the silent sobs and her hands gripped her hair painfully.

She didn't know for how long she was standing there, unable to control that initial outburst of emotion.

Then she was able to look up again, starring at the plate. She was SO hungry.

But the idea of taking that plate. Accepting the electronic surveillance. It was almost like letting go of something so important inside her that she had no idea how she would carry on after. A part of the wall she built around herself, in order to survive after the deaths of her parents, would crumble. And it would be impossible to rebuild.

But she was so hungry.

" I'm sorry. "

She startled, looking back then taking a few steps away from the door. Sam standing there with a conflicted expression.

" I... didn't think anything of it when I asked FRIDAY to monitor you. I was just... thinking about making things easier. " He said, taking a step forward. " I... We all got kind of thrown in this situation. We allowed ourselves to be, of course, doesn't make us anymore... prepared for this. "

She was so tired. So tired. She didn't have the energy to fight him off. Get him to leave her alone.

" I should have known better. " Continued the man. " I really should have. I've been treating you mostly like a kid, one who was too similar to her father for her own good, but... you have been through too much that makes you too close to the people I met. People who would have hated to know that anyone or anything was keeping tabs on them. " He took a deep breath. " So, I am sorry. I shouldn't have just thought about what would be more convenient to me and not less... invasive to you. That now I know it was. "

Oh, God no more emotional outbursts and revelations from people today, she can't handle it. Not when they're about her.

He looked from her to the plate, then back at her.

" Want to eat something else? We can have tacos in a place in the city. " He said. " My treat. "

No, no more people breathing down her neck. But... leaving that place.

Her mind was so messed up that even trying to decide what to do was taking too much time. She didn't seem to be able to make up her mind. Which was unusual for her. She always knew what she wanted to do.

God! She was SO hungry!

" I promise, FRIDAY won't be monitoring your sleep anymore. " Said Sam. " And that you probably need a break, from... THIS. " He added, waving around the space they were in. " It doesn't need to be tacos necessarily, just... something. "

" Can you be silent? " She then asked. She could stand being in his presence, but she couldn't stand more talking to people.

" Not normally, but I'll make the effort. " He said.

She looked at her feet, the dirty and slightly damp socks. She needed shoes. She looked at her bathroom door, the tablet.

She didn't know if she would be able to get time to work, but... holding the device, it would comfort her. Ground her into familiar ground, namely her work. Her NEED to work.

She went to the closet, changing her socks, putting on shoes and grabbing a small bag she found there. She left the closet, going to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She put the tablet, charger and the photo of her family Maria had found, Bella had left it on the floor next to the spot she was sitting on to work. A reminder of why she was so obsessed, if she could forget.

She stopped for a moment, thinking. Well, might as well. She opened one of the drawers and grabbed a kit of nail and eyebrow care that was there. Not the best of tools, but all she had at hand.

She left the bathroom and followed Sam out to the garage, getting on the passenger seat of his car. The man at least following on his promise to be quiet.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

He felt guilty and stupid. GOD SO STUPID! He had worked with paranoid and control freaks enough to know that having an AI monitoring her sleep was a bad idea! Seriously Wilson! Get your head back in the game!

He had seen her mad, annoyed and a few things in the middle. But... when she learned about being monitored, he saw something break in her. He didn't know what. He also saw hurt, a lot.

That was on him, and he would own up to it.

She was in complete silence on the way out of the compound, not looking at him either, just looking out the window. Holding the shoulder bag against her chest.

He stopped in the first 24-hour food place he could find, which ended up being a fast food burger joint. Not healthy per se, but in their defense, they did sell salads. And it was late enough for the restaurants to start closing, so he had to improvise.

" Want to eat here? " He asked, wanting to give her the chance to say yes or no.

She shrugged, opening the door and stepping out.

They got in the place, she barely looked at the menu, pointing at the first thing on it and ordering it.

" Can I get you some juice? And a salad? " He asked. " Just for us to pretend this isn't a slap in your doctor's face? "

She shrugged again, moving to a table next to the window, looking out.

He payed, grabbed the food tray and sat across from her. He drank from the milkshake he had ordered from himself and watched as she looked at the food with an unreadable expression. It was like she was feeling so many things that she couldn't express them all on her face, so she showed nothing.

She then closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping even more and moved her hand to grab the juice bottle. He could have sworn that her eyes were a little bit more shiny when she opened them again.

He stayed in silence.

She ate and drank slowly. Very slowly. He guessed she was no stranger to eating after prolonged periods of starvation, having lived on the streets for so long. She knew that the best thing was to take it easy.

She had finished half the small cheese burger and half the small fries when she took a pause, leaning back on the uncomfortable chair. Looking out the window.

He had promised to speak as little as possible, so he struggled to do just that. He wanted to ask what was wrong, how could he make things better.

Years in the VA, he still struggled to push that urge down. He had to remind himself that not all things could be so easily fixed. Or better yet, struggled to let himself let go of the hope that things could be that easily fixed.

Very long minutes later, she leaned back over the food, eating at an even slower pace.

She didn't finish the meal, leaning back again and stuffing the ketchup and mustard packets in the bag she brought with her.

He had seen that before, a few of the veterans he worked with, the one without a home. A habit they picked up on the streets, when they saw free food (or barely food) they pocked it, to make sure to always have something on them.

Three years on the streets, he was sure Bella had a lot of little habits that were going to be hard to quit.

Bella looked around, still in silence, then she stood up.

" I'm going to bathroom. " She said. " I'm allowed to do that without 'monitoring', aren't I? "

He watched her go, the door of the bathroom was partially visible from where he was, so he didn't have to worry about Tony having his head if she ran out the backdoor or something.

He sat there, waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

Time passed.

She was taking way too long.

* * *

She breathed easier when she locked herself in the bathroom, finally alone. Finally, alone in a place that wasn't in the Avengers HQ.

She took a moment breathing, pushing down the part of her that was refusing to accept the food she just ate. She didn't have the strength to throw up now.

She took a moment just standing against the door, then she opened her eyes, looking around the small and dirty room. Not dirty enough to stop normal people from using it, but still, not clean.

The window was too small even for her. She rolled her eyes, as if she could get away so easily. Without money, or a proper distraction to give her a head start. Not with that amount of resources Stark had so close.

She used the bathroom, washed her hands and took a moment trying to figure out what would be best. Stay in there, or leave.

Solitude was the best card in her deck right now, so she decided to stay in. She took out the tablet from her bag, leaning against the sink and turning the device on and connecting it to the restaurant WI-FI. She used her program she created to enter the Avengers' systems, and continued working. First thing, go over the last hours that she had worked on, to make sure that during the time she was a 'little' sleep deprived, she didn't miss anything important.

For her, it felt like no time at all until there was a knock on the door.

" Bella? "

" Busy. " She retorted.

" Planning to be in there all night? " Asked Sam.

" Yes. " She said. No use lying, she really was planning on it.

" Serious? " Asked the man, a little surprised.

" Deadly. " She said, not looking away from her tablet.

" You know... if this is about not wanting to go back to the compound now, we can find something else to do. Or just sit on the table outside for a while longer. " Said the man.

" You said you would be silent. " Said Bella, reminding the man of the promise he made her.

A long moment of silence.

" So you're really going to stay in there? " Asked the man. " What if someone needs to use the head? "

" There are bushes outside, they're welcome to it. " She retorted.

" I'm not holding myself responsible if they knock this door down or call the cops. " Said the man.

She didn't bother answering it, just continued working. One hour passed, Sam showed up again. She still wouldn't leave, and changed position to sit on the small and slightly wonky baby changing table on the corner. It was dirty with a lot of things, but she had sat on dirtier places before.

Two hours, Sam showed up again. She still wouldn't leave, an employee tried to get her to leave. She didn't.

She was taking advantage of all the time alone she could.

Eventually, the lock started to move, great, a master key.

She paused on her work and shoved the tablet back in her bag just as the door opened.

" Miss, please get out. " Said a clearly exhausted employee that probably had his soul sucked out by the system a long time ago.

Well, her time alone was gone anyway.

" Fine. Aren't you dramatic? " She asked, jumping back to the floor and leaving the small space.

" He's dramatic? " Asked Sam.

She left the restaurant, not moving back to Sam's car, the man following her.

She needed another place, someplace, anyplace for her to be alone. Totally alone. Now that she was outside again she was getting anxious again.

She shouldn't be feeling this anxious so fast, but she was. Her heart was fast and her eyes darting around as if in search of a target.

She felt a light bulb go on in her head as she saw a motel. One of those that had small apartments instead of the ones that were charged by the hour. Great less chance of having moaning being the soundtrack to her working.

She walked towards it.

" Where are you going? " Asked Sam.

" Your fault I'm like this, I'm not going back to that place tonight. " She said.

" And? "

" I hope you brought your wallet, I'm staying here. " She said. " Don't care what you'll do. "

" I don't think so. "

She smirked.

" Don't care. "

She got in, seeing that there was no one on the front desk, but the keys were visible behind the counter.

She didn't know if it was the fast pace of her heartbeat, but she didn't even stop before placing her hands on top of the wood surface and pushing herself over it.

" What are you doing?! " Asked Sam, clearly not liking where this was going.

" You might want to stay back here and pay for the room. " She said, taking the first key she found and then moving to a doorway to the right, towards where the rooms would probably would be given what she could glimpse of the structure on the way there.

" You're not staying here. "

She didn't bother stopping, just kept on her way.

She heard Sam following, before another voice appeared, exclaiming 'Hey!'.

She looked at the key chain, it was written 3C. Third floor, it was then.

Her heart was beating faster and faster in anticipation of being alone. Away from cameras, super trained agents and super people.

Away from Stark. The man who had the nerve of trying to look human, vulnerable.

No, she had to get away.

She just hoped this place had a good WI-FI.

* * *

'I agreed to help, but I didn't sign up to be her dad.' That was what Sam said to him on the phone. 'I know you have issues, but own up to your end.'

Tony didn't want to do this. Didn't want to face her now. He had just earlier that night tore his heart open to the girl, and he was still feeling vulnerable. Still feeling like he had to lock himself in a room and regroup. He barely could manage the people he walked past as he went to the garage and got in his car.

He didn't blame Sam. The man was right, he was taking too much of advantage of the others. These last days, they were acting like the actual guardians of the girl, despite the fact that Tony was her father, in blood and paper.

The relationship between Bella and himself was a major factor that made it a little necessary, but still, those people were there because they were Avengers, not nannies.

He drove as slowly as he could, while not making himself crazy over being too slow. He had always been a fast driver. Still, he arrived too quickly in the motel.

It was one of those places that had small apartment structure, not the kind of motels hookers and their johns used. It would be less awkward and less of a headache if people recognized him as he went in.

Which, from the look he got from the guy behind the front desk, he already had been. Before the 20-something man could do or say something though, Sam approached him, standing up from his spot on the small dirty looking couch by the door.

" She's your daughter, you deal with her taking by force a motel room. " He said, to Tony as he got close.

" What the hell is she doing in the city in the first place? " He asked.

" I took her out to eat something. "

" What's wrong with the kitchen in Compound? " He asked, annoyed. " Or, you know, ordering food in? "

" She was freaking out there! " Said Sam. " I know you want her there because it's safe, but she's a human being Tony. She needs to get out from time to time. "

Of course, he knew he was human. He was aware of that every single time she looked at him or talked to him. Machines didn't have such intense emotions like that.

Still, he didn't want Sam to have the last word, not mattering how entitled he was in feeling annoyed with Tony. Everyone had the right to be annoyed or mad at him these days. It made him want to punch something.

" She wouldn't have done that in the compound. " He muttered, making Sam roll his eyes at the teenage behavior in the full-grown man.

" Just... deal with this. " Said Sam.

" Deal with what? " Asked Tony. " What do you want me to do, drag her out of there by force? Or just pay for the room? "

" I don't know. I really don't. " Said Sam. " But I'm not her dad, you are. You decide what's happening and what you're doing. I'm going back to the compound where my bed awaits me. Now that I have, what? Three hours until I have to wake up? Good night. "

He left, leaving Tony standing there with a gnawing feeling in his stomach that made him want to bolt.

He was definitely not ready to talk to her again.

He turned to the young man behind the front desk.

" So... " He said, not liking the wide eyes and slightly open mouth of awe. Or the tapping fingers on the smartphone.

" Brandon. " Said the man, putting down the phone. " N- Nice to meet you sir. I'm a huge f- "

" Great! Amazing. " He said. " So, how much do I owe you for the room she took? "

" Uhn... " The man looked a little unsure as he took a big book, checking the first page, then taking a small paper to write down the information of the room and the name. " Do I put in your name or-? "

" Mine is fine. " He said.

" Okay. " Said the man, smiling and finishing filing the paper, giving it to him.

He barely looked at the price, because really, he had never been in a motel that was pricier than the amount of cash he carried.

He took out his wallet and payed in cash.

" Keep the change. " He said. " What room is she in? "

" 3C. "

" And where is it located, end of the hall? Do you have a floor plan for your rooms? "

" I... we have this. " Said the man, going to a wall and going through a cabinet file.

Tony received one of those floor plans that these places had to have to help costumers with evacuating in case of a fire. It wasn't much, but it did help him figure out where the room would be, which side would the window would be facing and if there were emergency exits near.

A moment of figuring what he could do in terms of security in that place, without talking to his daughter, he turned to the young man, who again had his phone in hand.

" The room across from it, is it occupied? " He asked.

" No. " Said the man.

" Give me it. " Said Tony, taking the same amount of money from before from his wallet.

" Okay. "

When Tony made his way up, he took out his phone and ordering FRIDAY to deploy a few emergency sensors, just in case and place them around the building, out of sight, but able to keep an eye on the building, the girl in it and in all possible threats around.

He stood in front of the 3C apartment, looking at the light under the door. She was in there. Was she thinking about what he said? About him not being a monster? That he just wanted her not to hate him?

Was he doing the right thing? How much could he do with the purpose of keeping her safe? Of not letting her get herself killed?

He turned around and got in the worse room he had ever payed for. It was well-kept 'ish', but for the money he payed, maybe it was as good as it would get. He definitely did not want to know what kind of things a black light would show here.

He closed the door, sitting on the bed. And awful mattress. With awful patterned sheets and blankets, all surrounded by an eyesore of a wallpaper.

The things parenting demanded of him.

He laid back on the bed, looking at the confirmation FRIDAY sent that the sensors were in place and giving him an estimate of how long would a suit take to get there in case was needed, and then he put the device on the bedside table. He took the remote and turned on the TV, hoping there was something on that would take his mind off all he shared with Bella that night.

At that time, he had no idea what the morning would bring though. He really shouldn't have dismissed that guy's tapping fingers on his smartphone.


	44. Chapter 44

**Sorry for the delay in publishing this chapter, my computer got organ failure and I had to arrange the transplant. It took a while, but here it is! Hope you enjoy! Reviews are welcome.**

Chapter 44

Bella sat on the bed, the tablet on her hands and eyes running fast over the videos feeds and agencies' reports. She had drawn down the window shades, which were, to her surprise, pretty good and blocked all the light outside. It was great for her to ignore time and continue working without making her mind realize too much the amount of time that had passed.

She was alone, in a place without cameras, with a locked door between her and all the things she wanted to ignore. Sam hadn't shown up to bother her and for the lack of motel employees, he had payed for the room, so there wouldn't be any likely distractions. Not to mention the NOT DISTURB sign she put on the doorknob.

She was going up the Serpent's organization. She had identified members of the criminal network. They were clever, too clever. The countermeasures took paranoia to another level.

But she was no quitter, specially when she had a thread to pull.

It was probably day already when she heard increasing noise on the street, she turned on the TV, putting on a weather channel and increasing the volume to drown it out. The boring subject would eventually become background noise to her and would not let her wonder what was going on outside.

It wasn't about her, not important, and she had much MORE pressing matters to pay attention to.

* * *

Tony had fallen asleep in the middle of a rerun of an old TV show. He wasn't sure which because he wasn't really paying attention to it.

It was already morning when he was woken up by his phone.

" What? " He asked, not even seeing who it was on the other side.

" Tony, we got a problem. " Came Pepper's serious and worried voice.

" What? " Now, he was totally awake, sitting up, something in her voice was like a bucket of cold water. It was hers 'it is something serious' voice. He heard it a few times already, also during all the 'let's take a break' talks.

" Some guy posted online that Tony Stark was staying in his motel with his daughter. " Said the woman, ice filled his veins. " It was followed by a lot of posts of 'Tony Stark has a secret kid'. "

" Crap. " He said, though the word didn't even get close to expressing his real emotions.

" One thing led to another, people looking into it to see if it's true. The more 'dedicated' paparazzi dug deep into your recent public appearances and posts of people who saw you and what they heard you saying. " Said the woman. " Look, Tony, it gave them enough to at least see that there's something there and it's not just crazy blabber. "

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. Dread filled him. Then, it was quickly replaced by anger. A lot.

" Before you go kill the guy who posted it. " Said Pepper, reading his mind, somehow. " There ARE people gathering around the place you are. So, you need to try to get Bella out of there without her going through a whole paparazzi stampede. "

" Oh Shit. " He said. He didn't even want to imagine how Bella would react to it. " How the hell am I going to tell her that people know she exists now? " The anger he was feeling was quickly replaced by fear. " Can we make this go away? "

" I asked the same thing to Carrie. " Said Pepper, referring to the head of the PR department of STARK Industries. " No, not entirely. You know how it is. "

SHIT.

He knew that would be the answer, of course, he was a Stark after all. He was 'news worthy' ever since he was born. Once it was out there, it was out there forever. All that could be done was damage control in the form of official statements and demands for retractions. Pepper knew all that too, but he guessed that, as he did, she asked in the hopes that SOMEHOW, it would be possible.

He got up from the bed, going to the window and like she said, there was a small crowd in front of the motel.

" She's going to freak out to hear this from me. " He said, rubbing his forehead. " Maybe we can call Vision, and he can fly her out of here? "

" It would end up in a lot of pictures. " Said Pepper. " He does call a lot of attention. "

He sighed again.

" You're right, we need to figure out a plan. " He said. " I'm calling Hill here, she should be able to talk to her better. And can you get a bodyguard? Tell him to come in and stay posted at the door of 3C. I'm sure the company we use can get one here in an hour or two. "

" I got it. "

" Five minutes from now we do a conference call with Carrie? " He asked.

" I think she's on the phone with a news channel now, better make it ten. " Said Pepper.

" Talk to you then. " He said hanging up and calling Hill.

" Hill. " Answered the woman.

" Have you heard? "

" Yes. "

" Can you come here? "

" Already on my car. "

He was surprised and glad.

" You really deserve a raise. "

" Yes, I do. "

* * *

Hill was seeing a lot of headaches in her future. She was blaming it all on whoever was that first posted this thing. She was sure going to think of something to scar the person for life and never let they forget that she had NOT liked this.

She parked in front of the motel. And yes, she did push people with her car in order to move them away and make room for her big car. She wasn't sure how the 'extraction' would be, but in case it was in her car, it would be a short walk from the motel to the vehicle. It was also a good way to relieve a little of the stress she was feeling.

She ignored all questions and noise as she walked in the building. A woman with her 'no nonsense' expression and business clothes, it was a given she was there about the 'Tony Stark newest scandal'.

She went to the third floor, glad that the media had stayed outside and didn't even bother knocking, just opened the door and got in the room the billionaire was staying at.

He was sitting on a chair on the 'kitchen' area, his phone down on the table. His elbows resting on each side of it, as he massaged his temples.

" Hey. " He greeted, without energy.

" Hey. " She greeted back.

" Just ended a very long call about what the hell we are doing now. " He said.

" And? "

" In the long run, it's best if we give a statement admitting that yes, I do have a daughter. " He said. " But... "

" Bella doesn't know about this yet. " She said.

" Yeah. " He said. " She despises the very thought of me. How the hell is she going to walk around with the 'Stark's kid' stamp on her now? "

" She'll have to manage. " Said Hill.

" Have to manage. " He said, scoffing. " Seems like that's all she does. Manages. Poorly. "

" Want me to go in there and tell her now? Or do you need more time to figure out a plan? " She asked.

" I need more time. I need all the time. I need freakin' forever. " He exclaimed, hands over his eyes now. " Can't have it, can I? "

" No. "

He chuckled.

" I really hate your honesty. "

" So that means I can forget about the raise we talked about on the phone? " She asked, with a little of a joking tone.

He laughed. Then after a moment of silence, he sat straighter.

" Can you tell her? Take all the time you need to, I'm waiting for a bodyguard to get here. Along with two other cars. Have a few more things to take care of. I'm not in a hurry to leave, maybe if we wait long enough, some of them will give up. "

She nodded, then stood up and left the room.

She took a deep breath, then knocking on the door. When there was no answer, she knocked louder, there were loud sounds of a TV, so maybe the girl didn't listen.

" GO AWAY! " Came the now familiar voice.

" It's Hill. " She said. " Let me in. "

" Oh. " Said Bella. " Go away, Maria! "

" I need to talk to you. "

" Not my problem! "

" NOW, Bella! " She exclaimed. " It's very important. "

She had used a tone of voice that she didn't use lightly, it was a tone of voice that showed things were serious.

There was a pause. A long one.

" What is it? "

The door was unlocked and an eye peeped through the small crack.

" Important. And private. " Said Hill. " Something you NEED to hear. "

The eye closed, the girl REALLY didn't want to let her in. But her tone must have been convincing, because she opened the door and let her in.

The TV was really loud, on a weather channel, with an overweight middle-aged man doing a lot of jokes in order to grab SOME attention from viewers. Hill couldn't even hear the noise of the growing media crowd outside. So she walked over to the TV and turned it off.

" Trying to drown down the noise? " Asked Maria.

" Yeah, something going on outside that I don't give a shit about and that is killing my peace and quiet time. " Said the girl, moving to sit on the king-sized bed on the left corner.

" You should give a shit. " Said Hill, sitting on a chair by the table near the kitchen area, looking at her.

" Why? "

" Because they're here for you. "

A long, confused pause.

She chuckled.

" Yeah, right. " She said in a sarcastic tone that showed the woman she didn't believe her.

" Yes. They are. "


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Bella's usually fast brain wasn't managing to register the information properly. It just didn't make sense to her.

" Bella, someone posted online that Tony Stark was staying in this motel. " Said Maria, looking at her with an unusually empathetic expression.

" So? "

" Said that he was staying here with his daughter. "

Her brain lost almost all functions. She was breathing and sitting up, but her mind was silent.

A first in her life.

" Bella? "

" What? " She asked. She wasn't able to register the words.

" They know that he's here and so is his daughter. Bella, They know you're his kid. " Said the woman.

People knew she was his kid? There were people, social media people, blabbering about it? People knew she was connected to him?

The noise from outside suddenly became louder. She looked to the blocked window. Those were the sounds of a crowd of people.

No. No. No. It couldn't be.

" That's some messed up sense of humor. " She managed to say, her throat was suddenly really dry.

She looked down, she was shaking. Her hands were shaking. And what was that noise? That pumping, really loud in her ears?

She couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe.

Her sight was blurring.

No, no it couldn't be. Hill was lying. Or wrong.

And why she couldn't breathe?!

Her first instinct was running away. Run away from the news she didn't like or didn't know how to process. But run where?

She was standing up, she didn't know when she did that, but she had, now she was looking around the increasingly out of focus room. A place to run to, a place she wouldn't find a mass of people with cameras.

Cameras that wanted pictures of her. God, her mind could barely process that thought!

WHY COULDN'T SHE BREATHE?! And the pounding?! It was so fast and loud, it was impossible to hear anything else.

She had to have somewhere to run.

Not outside, no. Not outside with... them. With people. People who wanted to know her face, her name.

There was no more anonymity. No more hiding. No more being just another face. It was all she had to be able to work!

Work.

Oh God, WORK!

The Serpent.

She turned to the bed, where the tablet was hidden under the pillow.

" I... can't... "

She was getting dizzy. She stumbled backwards. But she felt no pain, she didn't fall, something held her up around her shoulders.

" I... "

" Breathe, Bella. " Came the voice.

She felt herself being moved, she closed her eyes firmly shut. She couldn't breathe, her mind was speeding now, images of flashes of cameras and faces. So many eyes on her. Knowing her name. Knowing she had Stark's blood in her.

There was no coming back now. But there had to be. There just... had to be.

" Breathe. It's all going to be fine. " Came the voice again.

The voice, whose was it again? Oh yeah, Maria. The woman who wasn't all that bad, but now had brought her the worse news she had heard in a while.

The most depressing thing was that it wasn't all that long of a while.

She opened her eyes and took a moment to figure where she was now. Sitting on the bed, head between her knees. A hand on her back.

" It's all right, just breathe. " Continued Maria.

Panic, all there was now was panic. Well set and gripping her tight. She wasn't going to calm down. It felt like she was never going to calm down. It felt like this 'feeling', this thing, was going to kill her. Explode her heart. After all that had happened, it was going to be a heart attack that got her.

" No... not alright. " She managed to say, though she was sure her voice wasn't all that clear. It was never again going to be alright.

Her mind didn't stop sending her images of the eyes, millions, billions of eyes looking at her. Knowing of her. Mouths talking about her.

It would be high school times a billion. The high school from hell. Now instead of teenagers that were to her, stupid giants that ran around her, sending her those looks that made her feel like she was a freak, it would be every single person on the planet.

" Yes, it is. It will all be alright. " Continued Maria, a hand moving slowly on her back. A soothing movement.

She normally wouldn't have taken it. She would have run away from the contact. Because it had been too long since she was comfortable enough in her own skin to take it. Because it made her think of times that were too painful to think about.

But damn. She could barely breathe now, imagine run away. And god-damned, she actually appreciated it right now. She wanted someone to hold her and tell her that everything would be okay. That none of it was the end of the world.

It made her feel even weaker and pathetic than she was already feeling, and she hated it. Hated that she leaned a little to the side, closer to the body near her.

* * *

Hill wasn't really a comforting person. She some times dealt with people who needed to be comforted and did her best, but she knew she was always bad at it. Usually she managed to get away from it by playing the 'I'm your superior officer' card. Too bad that didn't always work.

Now, here she was, with a damaged teenage girl in the middle of a major panic attack. A very long panic attack.

She didn't even know it was physically possible to be in that state for so long.

Time passed slowly, and she just continued to rub the girl's back and repeating her reassurances that everything was going to be okay.

After what felt like forever, the girl's breath slowed, she had finally calmed down.

Hill stayed in place, the girl leaning forward and a little to the side, her arm touching Hill's leg. A small seek of comfort that was possibly all the girl could allow herself.

" I... " Came the small voice after a long silence. " Why do things keep happening to me? "

The question was barely a whisper, but the woman could hear it.

" I don't know. "

She now expected the girl to try to fix this, to tell her that she was going to make people believe this was a lie, that Stark didn't have a kid.

But Bella sat a little straighter, then pushing herself to the middle of the bed, leaning against the pillows.

Her face was wet from her tears, and she was still shaking. Eyes red and unfocused.

" When I say that I need to work, do you understand what I'm saying? " She asked.

Hill frowned a little in confusion, why was she talking about that?

" Probably not entirely. " Said Hill.

She nodded.

" You and Scary Pirate didn't tell others about me, when you found out that it was me doing what I do, you two let me work. " She said.

Hill turned a little, to face her better. She knew why she hadn't said anything. SHIELD was good (or, so she thought at the time), but people got sucked up in it. It was a way with no return. It also brought her even more into the spotlight. They trusted their agents, but their trust only went so far. They thought that, if she was older, Bella would be able to deal better with it all. Work with them while knowing who to trust and who not to trust.

Also, they knew that they couldn't stop her. Tony was trying to, and if someone was stubborn enough to do it, it was him. She was following his lead, but not truly believing his ability to do it.

" We had our reasons. " She said.

Bella nodded.

" I NEED to work. " She said, looking up at Hill. It was rare she looked people in the eye, but she did now. She could see the desperation in her eyes. " This one, this one is the one. I need to get this bastard. After this... I don't care for anything else, whatever happens, happened. I just NEED this one. "

That look in her eyes, Hill had seen it once, a target she was sent to investigate, a drug addict who was going through one hell of a withdrawal, a man who was ready to pounce at whoever was near to get a fix. It was a deep need, an obsession.

" You shouldn't have a next one, shouldn't have been able to have access to anything to point you to a next one. " She said.

" But I do have access. " She said. " And I need to get this one. "

The sounds of the people on the street filled Maria's ears, louder and louder by the moment. The kid was in for a hell of a change in life style. She had lived in anonymity for years, even online, she never gave herself any names or nicknames. Robin Hood was coined by an FBI agent who was working on the cases of the online crimes the girl committed.

Now, there wouldn't be a person on the planet who wouldn't know who she was.

" Who? " Asked Maria, already preparing herself for the lashing out Tony would give when he found out she was doing this.

" The Serpent. " Said the girl, leaning forward, a serious look in her tired eyes. She was still shaking a little from the panic attack, and she was clearly in need of sleep.

" No even knows who the Serpent is. " Said Maria.

" I'm so close. So fucking close. " Said Bella. " I can nail this bastard and get revenge. I just need you to help me. Speed things up. "

" Revenge? " Asked Maria, raising an eyebrow.

Bella swallowed dry, her eyes getting a harsher edge to them.

" This bastard sold the weapon that killed my dad. " Said the girl. " I've been waiting for years for his group to resurface. For the first time, this freak it's out there and I can get to it. "

Maria took a moment thinking. The Serpent, so far no one could get something on the arms' dealer. If anyone could, she would bet Bella could, the girl had this way of thinking her way around problems that others didn't.

Most of the girl's problems started when George Allan died, it was the origin of so much hurt. She would not stop. She would do anything to get the Serpent.

If she was near, Maria could make sure the girl didn't do anything too stupid. Maybe if Bella caught the one who started all this, she would stop this obsessive behavior. She would use her incredible skills in a more healthy manner.

Tony was going to kill her. He had the means, he could have one of his suits do it. Still, she was just crazy enough to do it.

" Just the Serpent and if I say you have to stop, because it's getting dangerous, you do it. "

The girl nodded quickly, her eyes changing into pure and utter relief.

" Thank you, Maria. " She said.

Maria had never seen Bella look so young. She was always small, but she had something in her eyes that most people didn't. It made her older. Now, the girl looked like the nine-year old who lost her dad.

" No problem. " She said, swallowing dry, uncomfortable with the emotional moment. " It's what Super Fan stalkers are for. "

A tired smirk appeared on her face, then the girl turned to the pillows, taking a Stark tablet from under them.

" I'll e-mail you what I have so far. " Said the girl. Her eagerness making clear that she was using work to ignore the people outside the motel.

" How in the world did you get access to the Avengers' systems? " Asked Maria, peeking at the screen in the girl's hands.

" It was easy. " The girl said, a beep in the woman's pocket telling her the e-mail had arrived.

" A system personally designed by TONY STARK, was EASY to get into? " Asked the woman.

" All systems are easy to get into, if you know it's weakness. " Said Bella, still typing in the tablet. " I found a weakness. "

" Which was? " Asked Maria, taking out her phone and opening the email. The attachments were huge, it was a good thing Maria had a great phone that could download them.

" First step, human error. " Said Bella, smirking. " And that's all I'm saying on the matter. "

Maria rolled her eyes, she would find out, sooner or later, now she had some catching up to do with the girl's research.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

In the middle of the panic attack, Bella had a moment of clarity. This was not possible to be undone. It was an idea, in people's heads, she couldn't make them forget that Tony Stark was holed up in a motel with a secret daughter.

Her life as she knew it, was over. There was only one thing she could do. Stall enough to get the Serpent. The one who started it all for her.

After that, she didn't know. Even more, if she couldn't go unnoticed around the streets to hide from her targets and be able to work, she just didn't care.

Maria was a surprise. Even working for Stark, she agreed with Bella. Maybe she wanted to nail this criminal as much as she did. She wasn't complaining. Super Fan went from 'not that bad' to 'somehow likable'.

It was weird, she never, NEVER, worked with others, she didn't know how to delegate tasks. Didn't know how to explain her thought process to normal people. And Maria did ask her a lot of questions. Why was this here? This is useless. Why the random marking of people in the streets? Why those people?

She didn't know how to explain it, she tried, in her lovable sarcastic tone that made her a joy to be around, but she was sure the woman still had doubts. To her relief, Maria just announced that she could help with certain things and started working.

Hours passed. The only person moving was Maria, who stood and went to the minibar and got the food and drinks that were there, telling her to eat the chips, drink the soda and don't argue with her about it.

Sugar helped, she was trying to figure out the times of physical exchanges that happened in pre selected places that changed in a pattern she still hadn't figured out. Made by people that rotated in another pattern that she still had to crack. And that of course hid their faces from cameras.

All those patterns, all passed down on mouth-to-mouth info. This Serpent was a paranoid little bitch.

Then it hit her.

Ears.

" I need more processing power. " Said Bella. " Stop doing what you're doing on your phone and your tablet, I need them. "

All the other sounds went away, all she could hear was the tapping of her own fingers on the screen as she created a new program. Then download it on the other tablet and phone.

" What is this program? " Asked Maria, seeing the quickly changing images on the devices that now were resting on top of the bed.

" It will check all the places I suspect the exchanges are being made and create a map for all the ears that pass through them. "

" Ears? " Asked Maria.

" The people that are working for this slippery bastard, hide their faces, but not their ears, wearing hats and earmuffs is too suspicious I guess. So their ears are visible to the cameras. " Said Bella. " It will figure out the patterns of how often and when the same pair of ears appear. I don't know if you know, but ears are- "

" As unique as finger prints. I know, I DID work for an international anti-terrorism and spying agency. " Said the woman, with a dry, but impressed tone. " How long will it take? "

" A few hours. " Said Bella.

The woman sighed.

" I'll go get my chargers, my batteries won't last this long. "

Bella nodded. Now that she had to wait, she felt an incredibly strong urge to go to the bathroom.

When she was inside, she heard Maria telling her that she would be right back.

When she got back, each device was on a different corner of the room, connected to a power outlet.

A huge wave of exhaustion fell over her. She turned on the TV on a channel that would absolutely never have a single second of news and gossip. The weather channel. She turned the volume up, drowning the volume of the people outside.

But she couldn't sleep. It wasn't the noise, per se, it was her head. She was exhausted, but she just couldn't turn her head off.

She had to find a way to turn her mind off. She needed something to take to make it turn off.

She looked at the small bottles of drink that were on the minibar. No, no way in hell. Not after what happened to her mom. Besides, no way two little bottles was enough.

She opened the door of the room, slowly. There was a huge dude in a suit standing on the hall.

" Are you all right, Miss? " Asked the man, looking at her when he noticed she had opened the door.

" Who are you supposed to be? " Asked Bella.

" I'm here for your protection, Miss. "

She hummed.

" Do you do errands? " She asked.

" No. "

" Then what good are you for? " She asked, annoyed.

" To take a bullet in your place. " He said, in an even tone.

What a sad little life the guy must live for have his job be taking bullets for HER.

" The whole place is surrounded? " She asked.

" It is best to stay inside until we are ready for an extraction, Miss. "

" Extraction, huh? " She asked, looking the large dark skinned man up and down. " Former military. "

" Yes, Miss. "

She stopped to think about how to do things. Normally people who owned these places lived in them. Practically everyone had chemical help to go help them survive these days. There could be a bathroom filled with pills downstairs, just waiting for her.

She left the room, closing the door behind her. The huge ex-military mountain followed her.

" Miss, it is best if you stay inside the motel. " He said.

" Not leaving, just making a stop in the apartment of this place's owner. " She said.

" That is trespassing. "

" That is none of your business. " She said. " Unless there's someone pointing a gun at me. "

" I do not believe Mr Stark would approve of what you're doing here, Miss. " Said the man.

" Mr Stark can kiss my bony ass. " She said. " I'm doing it, and you'll have to be happy about it. Stay outside and you'll be in the clear on the legal department. "

" Miss, if you are truly hellbent on following through with this crime, you might want to avoid the front desk, the walls are glass and the press is on the other side. "

She stopped. She didn't want to admit that what he said actually scared her. She thought back to what she remembered of the front desk, if there was another way to the door written 'Private' on the other side. Or at least a way hidden from the media vultures outside.

If she crawled, she could make it.

She really hoped this person had the best pills ever.

" By the way, mister military, what's your name? " She asked.

" Mr Johnson, Miss. "

" So, Johnny, my man, I hope you're not above crawling on the floor, because that's what we're doing. " She said.

" Why are we doing this again? " Asked the man.

" Because of reasons, Johnny. Reasons. " Said the girl.

A moment of silence, as they continued moving through halls and staircases, towards the first floor.

" Miss, may I ask you a question? "

" Shoot. "

" Is this your actual normal way to be? Or this is an exception? Due to stress? " He asked.

She laughed.

" J, this is me being nice. "

" That is good to now, Miss. " He said, she could hear in the even tone a hint of dread.

Someone was thinking about asking for a transfer. She wouldn't blame him, she was kind of a bitch. And by kind of, she meant a complete bitch.

When she reached the first floor, just shy of being visible to the people outside. They were talking to each other, she could even hear people that didn't sound like reporters, but Iron Man's fans.

Her heart started speeding, her mouth got really dry, and she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.

But if she wanted to sleep, she needed something to knock her out.

She got down and started to crawl towards behind the front desk. Her too skinny knee, the normal one, hurting from the contact with the floor. Stupid healed bones that never stopped hurting.

From the steps, Johnson wasn't crawling, but walking. As he passed, the sounds of cameras started, before they stopped as he got out of sight.

" Miss, I once again advice against this plan of yours. " Said the bodyguard, as she got up with a pained grunt. " Are you alright, Miss? "

" Just these old bones giving me trouble, Johnny, my boy. " She said. " Now, stay here, like a nice non-criminal, and I'll be right back. "

" Miss, why are you about to trespass into this room? " Asked Johnson. " Maybe I can help you with whatever you need, and we can skip the trip into underage criminal acts? "

She stopped in front of the door with the 'Private' sign. Could he help? Not really, the meds she needed were the kind to have with a doctors note. Or just A LOT of regular ones, and she really couldn't tell what that would do.

No, she needed to see if this person had the ones she needed. With any luck, since no one had showed up until now, it was because they were outside, milking on the five seconds of fame this place was getting.

Her stomach churned. Maybe they would rent rooms telling people Tony Stark and his daughter slept in the beds.

" Thanks J, but not at the moment. " She said, turning the doorknob, and glory, it was unlocked.

The place was... surprisingly clean for someone who had a whole motel to tend to. It was a bigger version of the room she had taken, with a nicer TV and a video game console. She went to the bathroom, seeing a shelf filled with miscellaneous objects, including more types of male anti-transpiration deodorants any human should need.

" Alright, Stinky, where do you keep the good stuff? " She asked herself.

She didn't find it in the bathroom, then she searched the bedroom, and found two pill bottles on the bedside table drawer.

Jackpot.

She opened them, taking what she deemed was more than enough pills from both of them before she put the bottles back in their place and left the apartment, closing the door.

" Done with the crime committing, Miss? " Asked Johnson, with an even and polite tone that still managed to pass how he wasn't happy with she had just done. Or better, that he couldn't exactly stop her from doing it.

" Yes, Johnny, my man. Let's head back. "

When she closed herself in her room, sending a smirk and a wave to the bodyguard, she took the pills form her pockets, wrapping them in a napkin. She took the two kind of sleeping pills, a couple of each and laid on the bed.

It took some time, but she did manage to sleep.

* * *

Maria still had the little voice in the back of her head that told her a big headache was coming. But she had already started working with the girl on catching the Serpent, there was no turning back now.

She had made a few calls and after another car showed up, with other two bodyguards, she went back to the room Bella was in, just exchanging a few words with Johnson and telling him to coordinate with the other two about how they were getting Bella out of here.

The girl was sleeping on the bed, drooling on the pillow.

Maria checked the tablets and her phone first. The program was still running, and they had enough battery to get to the compound while still working, the internet connection wouldn't be a problem anyway.

She took them and the charges and put them in her purses.

Now to get the social phobic ready for a mob of people.

She walked over to the bed.

" Bella. "

The girl didn't even move.

She shook her shoulder.

" Bella! " She called again.

The girl mouthed something. Maria frowned, looking down at the girl. She looked drugged. Great, how did the girl kept finding these meds?

" BELLA! " She yelled in her ear, shaking her shoulder. It would be no problem because the TV was really loud and the people outside still making too much noise.

The girl woke up, was still looking dopey, but she woke up.

" Get a-away from me. " Came the reflex response. Probably self-taught to avoid trouble in the streets.

" Get up, we're leaving. "

With some difficulty, the girl sat up, opening her eyes with even more difficulty.

" The people- "

" Put on your glove, put your hoodie down and walk straight without talking to anyone. Don't stop either. Okay? " Said Maria, passing the instructions.

The girl was terrified of this situation, Maria knew it.

Maybe being drugged was a good thing.

Bella opened her mouth to say something, but Maria helped her up.

" I'll be right there with you. " She said. " You got this. "

Bella was looking more awake, staring at the closed window.

" Once we're in the compound again, we can work. " Said Maria, giving Bella what she hoped was the carrot on the stick to push her through this.

The girl looked up at her, nodding. Taking her glove from her pocket, putting it on, pulling her hoodie down and taking a deep breath.

" Let's go. "

Maria made sure to be right next to Bella as they made their way out of the motel. Placing a hand on her back and pushing the girl forward as the doors opened to a swarm of cameras and people. Three body guards covering the other sides of the girl. With her head down and the human walls, it was probably going to be enough to make sure no features were caught on camera. The adults had several cameras, microphones and phones of all kinds shoved at them and more than one elbow found its way to Maria's ribs.

Questions came, almost deafening and very fast. Bella would have been frozen in place if not for Maria and the other bodyguards behind and on her other side pushing her forward and in the car.

For the girl's sake, Maria was never going to mention the small hand that gripped the side of her shirt tight.

Or the fact that in the car, she had another panic attack as they drove to the compound.

Tony was taking the other car, that was going to be driven by the one of the bodyguards. The billionaire was going to have a hard time enough getting in the passenger side, imagine the driver one. Easier and faster this way.

Maria rubbed the girl's back as she leaned forward, breathing hard and shaking. Johnson on the other side. The man was calm, professional and didn't stare at the girl or tried to talk to her. Knew how to stay quiet.

Maybe he would be a good one to leave with Bella on a permanent basis. She would talk to Tony, Pepper and Happy about it.

Right now, she just wanted the girl to be able to breathe again.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Vision was very worried. He knew that this situation had to be Bella's worse nightmare come true. Tony was probably the most sought out man on the planet when it came to paparazzi. And Bella was probably the most 'media attention phobic' one he ever met.

Not a good combination.

He had been following the media frenzy since it started. The media was making all sorts of conjectures and then, after the small figure covered head to toe and surrounded by bodyguards was photographed, the conjectures were going crazy.

Who was this kid? Why was she showing up just now? Did she have behavior issues to be taking motels rooms whenever she wanted, without permission from motels owners? Who was her mother? What was her name? How old was she?

Vision knew that Bella was going to be having a hard time in the future.

When the car pulled over in the parking space, he was waiting there. Driver and bodyguards got off the vehicle with dark windows, but not Hill or Bella.

He approached and saw Bella leaning forward, head resting on her hands. Silent. Hill sitting quietly next to her.

She made him a signal to be quiet when he was about to ask if she needed something. She got out, whispering in the lowest voice she could muster to give the girl some time.

So he stayed quiet next to the car, looking in at Bella. Quiet and waiting. For something.

Another car parked, a bodyguard/driver coming out, along with a serious looking Tony. The man looking at the other car, before leaving the garage.

Eventually Bella leaned backwards on the seat, looking exhausted, even with the hoodie that hid most of her face. She laid down, her small stature easy to make fit in the big seats of the huge vehicle.

Vision waited a little more.

When her breath had long steadied, he got in and very carefully, picked her up, carrying her out of the car. Awkward movements not necessary due to the fact that he could phase through solid objects.

She must have been exhausted, she didn't even stir, or maybe he just got her in the right moment of the sleep cycle.

When he had already reached the hall with the bedrooms, he met with Steve, coming out of his own room. The man took one look at the sleeping girl on his arms, he too (like everyone else on the compound) had heard of the media's discovery of Tony's kid.

" Need some help? " He said, in an almost silent voice.

Vision nodded.

The leader of the group walked with him and opened the door of the girl's room, allowing him in.

As Vision put her delicately on the bed, Steve picked up from the floor a folded photo that had fallen from her pocket. Unfolding it and looking at it, before walking over and placing it on her bedside table.

Vision took a look at it. It was a much younger Bella, with Emma and George. No scars, no huge traumas. Even with that grumpy smile, he had never seen Bella so happy.

Vision took the folded blanket from the foot of the bed and placed it over the girl. Then leaving the room and closing the door silently behind him.

He walked over to Wanda's room, absentmindedly phasing through her wall, the woman practicing with her guitar. From the frown, she was having difficulty with an accord or something.

" Need some help? "

She startled.

" Vis! " She exclaimed, hand to her heart. " You scared me. "

" I'm sorry. "

Her expression changed when she looked at his face.

" What's wrong? " She asked, putting the guitar on the floor and standing up from the chair.

" Bella is asleep. " He said. " I... Do you... " He didn't know why he was so awkward.

" Need something to distract you from your worry about her? " Asked the woman.

" Yes. "

" So... video game? " She asked, looking at her computer.

" You always win. " He said.

" That's why I offer. " She asked, with a small smile and a shrug.

He always found that smile endearing.

" Maybe this time it will be different. " He said, with a small smile.

He sat down on the chair and she took another. Soon after the bright colors and sounds of the race game appeared on the screen, and he once again started to lose to her. She once again commenting on how odd it was that he, an android made from the minds of AIs, was so bad at video games.

* * *

Bella woke up feeling like she was surrounded by a sea of warm marshmallows. She was so comfortable that she wondered if she was still asleep. She was never this comfortable. She was always in pain or bothered by something.

Yes, she wasn't awake yet, she was sleeping. A rare nice dream.

Then her stomach growled, and she knew she was awake. She fought against the weight on her eyelids and opened her eyes, seeing purple pillow cases with tiny bunnies on them. A blanket over her.

She was in the compound again, in her room. How did she get there?

Memories flew back fast, and she felt ice on her stomach. She turned to look at the ceiling.

People, media people, knowing of her and her connection to Tony. They probably didn't know her name yet, but with dedication, they would find out. It was possible to find out, and it wouldn't take anyone as smart as her.

But Maria, she was helping her get the Serpent. She was going to be able to work. That, that was going to ground her. Bella closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She needed to focus only on that.

She sat up, looking at the blanket over her. She had fallen asleep in the car. How did she get here? She was a little drugged on the way out of the motel and to the Avengers HQ. Maybe she walked here? Did she wake up in the car?

Not important.

She threw the blanket aside, turning and getting her feet on the floor. Shoes still on, odd.

She looked at the bedside table, seeing the photo of her family there. Her mother's smiling face, her honey gold hair framing her face. Her dad's dark brown hair and wide smile.

And herself, smiling, despite being annoyed at having her hair brushed into submission.

She took the photo, folding it again and putting it back on her pocket.

She would find the Serpent. And make that person pay for destroying this family.

She closed her eyes. 'Ignore Stark. Ignore the media. Focus on your mission.'

Find the Serpent.

She got up from the bed. She had to find Maria.

A pressure on her lower abdomen made her take a detour to the bathroom. And after she left the bathroom and her room, another growl made her take a detour through the kitchen.

She was ready now, she tracked down Maria's office, knocking on the door and getting in immediately, not waiting for the woman to allow her in.

"How are the searches?" She asked.

"Good evening." Said the woman, looking annoyed at her. A gaze that softened a moment later as she walked in and sat on the chair across from Hill's. " How are you feeling?"

"Awesome. Always." Said Bella, with a shrug and a scoff. She had been vulnerable too long near that woman, she had to close up again. She was embarrassed enough at the TWO full Panic Attacks. " Now, the searches."

"That table there." Said Maria, motioning with her head to a table on the corner of the room, a bunch of files pushed to the side and three devices next to each other.

Bella got up, moving to the table. Unlocking the devices and seeing the progress. 96 percent. Good, good.

She dragged the chair to the table, sitting down and waiting for the program to finish.

"Super fan."

"What?" Asked the woman, not looking away from her computer.

Bella truly appreciated that about the woman, her expressions of caring were limited to a very low level she could withstand. Right now for example, she looked like she could care less if Bella was here or not.

"Was I so out of it, that I walked to the bedroom I'm using here and didn't even noticed?" She asked.

"You were practically comatose in the car, Vision carried you."

"What?!" She asked.

"You weigh practically nothing, not hard to do." Said Maria.

"My exclamation was due to the creepiness of having people carrying me around unconscious." Said Bella.

"Shouldn't have taken whattever it is you took to knock you out then." Said Maria, typing something on the computer then looking down at an open file next to her.

"Really Maria? Blaming the victim?" Asked Bella, folding her arms in front of herself and glaring at the woman.

"Or blaming an overly dramatic teenage genius that is way too paranoid." Said the woman, closing the file and looking back at the computer.

"I'm not paranoid!"

"Sure you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yeah. You are." Said Maria. "You think everyone here is out to get you because we know Tony."

"Since I had my freedom stolen when I started hanging out with Stark's people, and yes that includes you, no matter how hot, snarky and pro me working, you are." Said Bella. "I disagree with you. And since I truly AM a genius, I am right."

"Don't tell me I'm hot. It's creepy." Said Hill, still not looking away from her computer.

"Don't worry, I still think you're old."

"Better, I'm relieved." Said the woman, glancing at Bella with a raised eyebrow.

"If you want, I can list all the things I DON'T like about you." Said Bella. "Let me seeeeee... Your boss, your snoopping of my life, that plant in the corner of your office."

"It's fine." Said Maria, turning back to her computer.

"Your boss, how you just show up silently and scare the hell of me and the fact that you ran my DNA, finding out my accidental blood connection to Stark."

"I got it, Bella." Said Maria, an annoyed tone.

"Your Boss, the fact that you drink decaf-"

"What's wrong with decaf?" Asked the woman looking at her with a confused face.

"What's the POINT of decaf?! Decaf is an offense to coffee as a whole! " Exclaimed Bella, she was very passionate about coffee." It's like water that is not wet! Or those superhealthy sweets that don't have sugar, gluten, flour, dairy products or taste!"

"You're going to rant now, aren't you?" Asked Maria, Bella barely heard it.

"I'm writing a letter online. I'm starting an online protest group! Decaf is an offense to coffee drinkers all over the world, and we must unite. " She continued. "It's like nicotine patches without nicotine in them! I'll tell you what I told that doctor, the day I cut off caffeine, is the day I-"

"Bella!" Called the woman rubbing her forehead with one hand.

" What? I was on a roll. " Said Bella with an annoyed frown.

" Exactly. Maybe the program you designed is over? Could you check? " Asked the woman.

" Super Fan, this is no way to talk to the object of your obsession. " She said, with a slow sarcastic head shake. But the woman was right, maybe the search was over.

She checked and indeed it was, which meant she had a shit ton of data to go over.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Tony had been on media damage control for hours now. But nothing was going to get fixed without Bella agreeing to their plan, because they would need her cooperation.

He called the one man he knew could get at least something out of her.

"How the hell did this happen?"

No hello, no who is it or how are you doing. In Tomas' defense, Tony wouldn't have said those either.

"I'm getting you on a plane, and we talk here."

The man sighed.

"Unless you can change my orders from my superiors, I can't help you. I used all the time I could use. I'm on duty now. I'm going on a training mission with a new group of recruits." Said Tomas.

The man had managed to be transferred and become a trainer, with a little of Tony's influence over several branches of the military forces, to avoid being shipped off again. But that didn't mean he could just up and go all the time. He had used up all the cards and favours he could use.

"I need someone here."

The man sighed.

"Helena can help." Said the man. There was the sound of some tossing around.

"Mr Stark?" Came a female voice. "This is Helena Perez, I'm going to take a plane and go there. How's Bella?"

"Don't worry about the plane. There will be a jet waiting for you in the nearest airport in four hours." Said Tony. "And Bella... I'm not sure."

"Right. Hard to read." Said the woman. "Well, I'll see you when I get there."

He turned off the call. Backup, he had backup coming. He texted his assistant, asking her to arrange the jet. Then he left his room, feeling a headache slowing his movements. He needed something to eat.

Media problems had a way of making him forget to eat. When he arrived in the kitchen, Natasha was there, doing one of her mistery flavored smoothies. No one ever knew what they were, she loved them, but everyone else on the planet that were blessed with tasting buds, didn't.

"You look like crap." Said Natasha.

"Good, I feel like it too." He said, moving to the fridge. "What's in the red container?"

"Cap's stew."

"Ha." He said, taking the container and moving to the microwave, taking the lid off and putting it in, setting the time. He turned to Natasha. "You're not going to rat me out, will you?"

"Your secret is safe with me." She said, drinking her smoothie.

He leaned against the counter, waiting for the food to get ready.

"What are you planning?"

He laughed once.

"Bulding a time machine, going back on time and solving all these problems before they start." He said.

"If that doesn't work?"

"Will have to tell them who she is eventually." He said. "No way around it."

"Sucks to be a public figure." Said the woman.

"Yes, it does."

"Maria was the one to tell her, right?" Asked the spy.

"Yep."

"Good choice."

He nodded.

"Yeah." He said, looking ahead at nothing in particular.

"You know, she can't hate you more than she does now."

He looked at the woman, an eyebrow raised.

"Not very comforting."

She chuckled.

"It should be." Said Natasha. "Means that, no matter how completely unprepared she is for this situation, it will not make anything actually worse." She drank another sip from her smoothie. "I always did find that the worse things got, the closer they were to being finished."

"Really? The darkest before the light thing?" He asked, a raised eyebrow. "Expected something other than obvious cliches form you, Nat."

"There's a reason why they are cliches." Said the woman.

Man, he wanted to believe that. But wouldn't that meant that she would have to suffer even more?

"It's there an easier way... for her?" He asked. "Just asking for advices where I can get them."

The woman looked thoughtful.

"She looks like the one to budge only when pushed. But if I have some ideas..."

She sent him a sympathetic look and left the kitchen with her smoothie.

He took the food from the microwave, sitting down on the counter with a fork in hand and eating it. Damn, Cap was a good cook.

"Did that have YOUR name on it?"

Damn, busted.

"No, but I didn't see any note specifically telling me I COULDN'T have it." He said, looking up at Steve.

The man walked over to him, taking the container from his hands.

"You suck." Said Tony, sending the man a mock glare.

"Well, I can live with it." Said Steve.

Tony got up from the counter, looking through the counters and locating cereal and a bowl.

"So, how are you handling the media situation?" Asked Steve.

"Handling it. For now." He said, taking the milk from the fridge. "But they'll keep digging, will find something eventually if I don't tell them what they want to know myself."

The other man nodded, fork in hand and eating the food he had made for himself.

"I called Tomas' wife to see if she can talk to Bella. Help her through it." Said Tony. "Specially because eventually she needs to agree to talking to the press."

"I'm not as familiar with her as Maria or Vision, but I'm thinking that will be hard?"

"Like pulling teeth." Said Tony, eating a spoonful of the cereal.

Steve nodded.

"Anything I can do to help..." Said the man. "Just need to ask."

"I'll hold you to it." Said Tony. "By the way... a nice home made stew would really-"

"No."

"Damn."

* * *

Bella hadn't felt the time pass, she was too busy. Connecting ears across cities and even countries. And that was a weird sentence no one ever thought to say.

She didn't even notice what Maria was doing until a hand took the tablet from her hands.

"Hey!" She exclaimed.

"It's late, go to bed." Said the woman.

"No."

"Not a request. I told you that it would be on my terms." Said Maria.

"You said that you would tell me to stop if it was too dangerous. I don't see ay psycho with a knife, so I'm fine!" She said, trying to get the tablet back, but the woman moved it out of her reach.

"Well, I'm saying it now."

"Sorry, it wasn't on the contract I signed." Said Bella, with a smile.

"I'm changing the terms." Said Maria, looking at her with a side smile that the girl didn't like. "Unless you want Tony to find out what you're doing."

"You're blackmailing me?"

"Yes. Yes, I am." Said the woman, with no shame.

Bella didn't like this. Didn't like this at all. She got up from the chair, reaching again for the tablet, but she was short. Hill was not and the crazy woman still wore high hills.

"Go to bed, sleep all through the night." Said the woman.

"I'm not going to bed because you told me to, you creep! I'm not about to let a stalker dictate my sleeping cycle." She said, jumping a few times to try and reach it.

This was ridiculous, she felt like she was in high school again and Mandy Farland had taken her backpack because Bella said she couldn't find her way out of a math problem with a gps and a cheat sheet.

"You freaking Sasquatch! Give me that back, you can't interrupt the thought process once it starts!" She said,

"If you're so smart, you can start any process at any time." Said Maria, taking the tablet, the other tablet and her phone, taking them to the door of the office, looking at the girl from the doorway. "Come on, I'm locking my office."

"You suck, Super Fan." Said Bella, glaring at the woman. "You suck so hard!"

She stormed out of the office. Maria had the upper hand here, and she knew it. Bella wanted this bastard more than her. And the woman didn't seem to be the type to be afraid to tell Tony that she was going against his wishes.

"I hope you have horrible nightmares during your little nap!" She exclaimed as she walked down the hall.

"Thank you, sleep tight too." She heard the woman say.

Bella walked around aimlessly. She wasn't tired, the nap she took had been enough, just because it was night time, didn't mean she was sleepy.

She wondered when she found a giant TV room. More like a small movie theater really.

She sat down on the very comfortable chair, that was enough to be comfortably big for people like Captain Poster Boy Hair, imagine her.

There was a remote on the chair near her. She took it, turning on the giant TV. Messing around with the commands until she found a news channel. Just because she was banned from her data, it didn't mean she wasn't going to do something useful with her time. Or barely useful, it was the news after all, more fiction than truth.

She didn't need a lot of time to see that there wasn't going to be anything interesting. She had no interest in the sexual scandal of some politician in Spain. Her finger hovered over the commands of the remote.

When was the last time she watched TV for fun? Not just to make noise or to see the news? Or because she was stuck in a hospital bed and had nothing else to do but to watch horrible reality TV, because that was what the nurse wanted to see. A long time. She remembered sitting on the couch of her home, her mom by her side, in her sober moments, when the woman was feeling guilty and wanted to make up for the drinking before.

Emma would make popcorn, with lots of butter and black pepper. Buy soda and chocolate too. Then they would watch the woman's favorite movies, tv shows or some cartoon. Sometimes Bella found a documentary about some scientist or something and the woman would watch that with her, even paying attention the whole time.

Bella allowed herself to change the channel. Why was it so terrifying to change the channel, to allow herself to watch something fun? Why had it been scary to start to read a book those days ago?

After so long of being able to drown herself in her mission, living for it, it was strange to make a change. Like it was a betrayal.

She stopped in the channel hopping she was doing when she saw the familiar shapes of her mother's favorite movie. Singing in the rain.

She loved it too, knew all the lines. She could remember sitting on her mother's lap and watching it, saying the lines and singing the songs with her.

She put the remote on the seat nest to her, bringing her legs under her and leaning to the side, finding a more comfortable position to stay on.

* * *

Steve was someone who loved to help others, but never liked to ask for help himself. For example, he made sure to not let ANYONE know the frequency that he stayed awake at night due to his repeated nightmares.

That particular night it was that train, again. Bucky falling, again. His screams. The guilt. The guilt for everything that would happen later and only now he knew about.

He left his room. He wouldn't be able to sleep now. He didn't know what he was going to do, until he saw the screening room's door open and sounds coming from inside.

He walked over silently, until he reached the front row and saw Bella there. Eyes wide open and glued to the screen. Her mouth moving silently, he looked at the screen again and saw that she was following the lines of the characters.

He tried to recall which movie that was, he had seen the actor before. He didn't say anything or called attention to his presence, just sat on a seat a little away from her.

A little after, the characters started to sing. 'Who would have thought?' He wondered. The girl was always being so negative and aggressive. Actually saying that the world was nothing more than anger and violence, but she liked musicals. Musicals about men so in love they started singing in the middle of the street, in the rain.

He looked back at her, somehow fascinated when a very low voice started to follow the lyrics.

He thought back to the picture he took from the floor when Vision carried the girl to her room. She was more than a small container of rudeness and sarcasm. She was someone underneath it all, a girl who took christmas pictures with her parents. A girl who liked musicals and even sang along. He also believed Vision mentioned about bunnies.

It was only a matter of getting her to dig herself out from the pile of bitterness and pain. It would help her. And Tony too, the man didn't deserve what she was putting him through. Win, win.

He stayed quiet, because he knew that if she found out he was there, she would close up, curse him, hide between smart ass remarks and aggresseviness. No, he would stay quiet so that she could be a girl who liked movies, just a little longer. Besides, this was actually a charming movie.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Helena was aware that Tomas was better with Bella than her, but she liked to believe she too had enough of a connection to help the girl through this.

Specially because Tomas had been oddly quiet since his last talk with her. The girl said something, or the man did, that caused it. Her husband just refused to tell her what it was, then the news of 'Stark's daughter' hit the internet and TV, and she didn't even thought to ask about it again.

Helena looked around in the fancy car. She wanted to say that, after the jet, the car didn't impress her, but who was she kidding? Amazing that a girl who she had to practically force to go buying clothes she needed, was the daughter of someone so rich.

The big building grew as the car got near, and she had to say, she was impressed again. The first lights of the day were illuminating the building and making the several glass surfaces sparkle.

When she got out of the car, a red person with a yellow rock on his forehead was waiting for her. It took her a moment to remember what her husband told her about the man/thing called 'Vision'.

"Ms Perez." Greeted the man, with a small nod.

"Vision?" She greeted back and asked at the same time.

"Yes, that is me." He said, with a small pleasant smile. "How was your flight?"

"The most comfortable flight of my life."

He nodded.

"Please, follow me." He said, she followed him out of the garage and actually into the building.

"How's Bella?" She asked.

"I do not know. She seemed very upset in the car, before falling asleep. Then she sought refuge in Miss Hill's office, until it was very late." He answered. "I thought best not to crowd her with too much people around her."

"Yes, it was a wise idea." Said Helena.

"Well, she has a lot of similarities to her father, and her particular lack of control over her mouth makes it easy to learn fast what annoys her." He said, in a matter of fact tone that was very calm and comforting somehow.

"Yes. Wait-" She stopped, he looked back at her. "She 'sought refuge' in a place that had another HUMAN BEING there?"

"Yes." He said, looking a little confused.

"That's... unusual." Said Helena. "Not sure what that means."

"Me either." He said.

She smiled, shaking her head.

"Where is she now?"

"According to the Captain, she fell asleep on the screening room." He said, she followed him again.

"This place has a 'screening room'?" She asked, surprised and amazed, even if she should have known better by now.

* * *

Bella woke up with a startle, that accused a stiff neck, what else was new? She wasn't sure what had woken her, but the voice calling her told the teenager that it was someone that thought best to wake her up.

She opened her eyes and was surprised to see who it was.

"Helena?"

"Hey." Greeted the woman, with a kind smile.

"What-?" She started to ask, grunting in discomfort as she sat up. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think, pequeña?" Asked the woman. "I think you might need a little support, you know... after-"

"That bastard found another way to ruin my life?" Asked Bella, finding that despite being a little harsh, she wasn't as hate sounding as she could.

"Bella, this was an accident." Said the woman. "And you shouldn't call him that."

Bella stood up, feeling the discomfort on her limbs, but it was not so bad as her neck, so she was counting that as a win. Her hand going to the side of her neck, massaging it as best as she could.

"Look, Helena, no offense, I know you probably were up all night, but I don't want to talk about it." Said Bella, trying not to look at the woman's face. Because she might buckle in her compartmentalisation and actually start feeling the panic she had just barely buried.

The woman nodded.

"Aren't you going to say hi to me?" Asked Helena, with that tone of hers that was though to be mad at.

Bella used her free hand to rub her face and mess up her hair a little more.

"Hi."

She couldn't help the flinch when the hand touched her cheek. She hated herself for it, but human contact was tough to take naturally when she wasn't expecting it. Even if it was from a woman she knew all her life.

Helena seemed to take it well, since she sighed, caressed her cheek twice then moved her hand away.

"How about we talk a little over some breakfast?"

"Not hungry." Came the reflex answer.

"I don't remember making it a suggestion."

Bella wanted to argue, but her now more awake mind was trying to find a way to loose Helena to be able to be in Maria's office to work.

"Come on, pequeña." Said Helena, motioning for her to move.

Bella sighed loudly and did so, leaving the giant TV room. Seeing Vision outside.

"Red, what are you doing playing statue here?" She asked.

He followed them as they went in the direction of the kitchen.

"I am Ms Perez' guide." He said. "Good morning, Bella."

"I know, all mornings are great when in my presence." She said in a deadpan tone, still rubbing her neck that was very slowly getting better. "What else is new?"

"Bella, manners." Said Helena, in that tone of hers that she saved for her kids.

"What? Telling the truth is being polite!" She retorted, looking up at the woman.

Then it came... the look. The look that apparently all mothers had. The eyebrow lift of Doom. Bella could resist it, but really, she didn't feel like wasting the energy now.

"Morning, Red." She said, with a sigh and an eye-roll.

She wasn't looking, so she couldn't be sure, but she could just feel that the android was looking annoyingly smug and amused now.

"Still don't know what was wrong with the other one." She muttered, looking back ahead to their path.

Once in the kitchen, she saw that there were other people awake this early in the morning.

"Good Morning." Greeted Steve, with a smile, looking completely awake and full of energy.

"It's still dark out, how are you this peppy?" She asked, annoyed. Red she forgave because, well, it was Red. Helena probably never went to bed, but Steve wasn't in any of those situations.

At least Sam looked awful, with bags under his eyes and a coffee mug on his hands.

"Bella!" Chastised Helena.

"Come on! You can't tell me you don't want to know too?" Asked Bella.

"Doesn't matter. That was rude." Retorted the woman.

"It's everything rude now? I thought you were here to comfort me, not to regulate my manners." She asked, moving to the counter.

"Parents do both, pequeña." Said the woman, behind her.

"You must be Ms Perez." Greeted Steve, approaching the woman with his hand stretched out.

"Nice to meet you." Said Helena. "Call me Helena."

"Steve."

"Hi, I'm Sam." Said Birdie, approaching the woman and shaking her hand too. Bella could see him glancing at her with an odd look. And could not help but wonder what was bugging him now. "Good morning Bella."

"Birdie." She greeted back, moving to the counter and finding herself a clean mug. Then moving to the coffeemaker.

"Don't even think about it, young lady."

She looked back at the woman who had stopped in her small talk with Rogers to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What now, Helena?"

"Don't you give me that tone." Said the woman. "And you know very well, Miss 'I have perfect memory'. NO COFFEE."

"It is my life blood." She retorted.

"Well, tough." Said the woman.

* * *

Steve had to struggle really hard not to smile. For the first time, he was seeing someone successfully 'parent' Bella.

The girl still glared, but she moved away from the coffee.

"Good." Said Helena, as the girl moved to the fridge.

Steve turned to the woman.

"That was really good." He said, in a low tone that he was sure Bella couldn't hear.

The woman smiled and looked affectionately at the girl.

"She takes some getting used to. But I have a few tricks that work." Said the woman, in an equally low tone. "Up to some point."

"She IS a piece of work." He said. And he meant it, like Tony was a piece of work. Challenging, but good deep down.

He turned to see Bella, closing the fridge, mug full of juice and a bottle of milk on the other hand.

"Have you eaten?" Asked Steve, turning back to the woman.

"No. And I could really use some coffee."

"Traitor!"

He looked, and Bella was staring daggers at the woman. Vision next to her, reaching on the top shelf for the cereal box.

"I'm not on a diet, Bella." Said the woman. "And I've been up all night."

Vision placed the cereal next to the girl, distracting her from whatever she was going to say next.

"Why did you grab this?" Asked Bella, turning to the android, Steve and Helena moving farther into the kitchen, towards the coffee maker.

"I just observed that you weren't tall enough to reach it." Answered Vision.

"What?! Just because I am not a giraffe, doesn't mean I can't reach a measly box of cereals, Red." Said the girl. "That was just rude. Helena, tell him it's rude."

The woman looked away from the coffee mug that Steve had just given her.

"I... Mr Vision, probably.-" The woman thought about it a little more. "You did just call her short, Mr Vision."

"Ha!" Exclaimed the girl victoriously, pouring cereal for herself.

"I am sorry, it was not my intention to offend." Said the android.

"But he just did something nice for you, so you should be thankful, Bella." Added the woman.

"Here, put this back and you can have my eternal, undying gratitude." Said Bella, with her normal sarcastic tone, passing the box back to Vision.

Steve shook his head with a hidden smile. He was sure the girl asked him to put it away because she didn't reach the top shelf where that particular box of cereal was stored.

"Bye." Said the girl, leaving with a mug in one hand and a cereal bowl on another.

"Where are you going?" Asked Helena.

"To lock myself in a room and never come out." Said the girl, quickly leaving the kitchen.

He heard Helena sigh.

"I believe that was the most amount of time she could pretend to be okay that she can manage at the moment." Said the woman. "I'm actually surprised she is talking."

"Well, she was watching a movie last night. She seemed calm." Said Steve.

"Really?" Asked Helena, and he could see in her eyes the concern she had for the girl.

"Yes."

"Let me guess, old movie." Said Helena.

"Yes, how did you know?" Asked Steve, as she took a sip from her coffee with a look that was a mix of sadness and affection.

"Emma, her mom, loved them." Said Helena. "She would watch them with her again and again. It was the one thing she always did, even after George. It was their thing together."

"Oh." Said Steve, now wondering if he should have stayed in the room if she was having a private moment remembering her mom. "From what I've learned about her, it sounds like she was a great woman."

"Oh, incredible." Said Helena. "She had this thing about her, you know?"

Steve saw Sam leaving the kitchen and Vision taking a seat on a stool and paying attention to what Helena was saying.

"Emma would walk into a room, and people would turn their heads to look. She was funny, smart, beautiful."

"Were you close?" Asked Steve.

"Yeah, we were." Said the woman. "She was like a sister to me. We leaned on each other while Tomas and George were deployed. Not sure how I would have managed a kid and a baby without her help."

Steve could see it deep in the woman's eyes. Certain people, certain connections, they were so deep that they would always hurt, somewhere. Like his and Bucky's.

"Bella was always unique, but she does remind me of her mother sometimes." Continued Helena, taking another sip from the coffee. "Strong, very strong."

"Yes, we noticed that about Bella." Said Steve.

"Not easy, you know, raising a girl like that." Said Helena, shaking her head and looking at the liquid in her mug. "From the start, Bella was just way too smart. After she was born, the first time I actually saw her with her eyes open, I could swear, SWEAR, that she was staring at me, and laughing. The best she could, with the coordination of a newborn, but she was laughing AT me."

Steve and Vision could not help it, they laughed.

"Yeah, everyone thought it was funny. But I stand by what I said." Said the woman, smiling. "Emma never let me forget that. Laughed at me. She did that, you know, laughed at people. Right to their face. But it wasn't mean, it was just... honest. She was amused, so she laughed."

The woman played with the mug on her hands a little.

"Emma was very honest about her emotions. She didn't deny them. No matter what it was." Said Helena. "For example, as you can imagine, Bella, growing up, did catch the attention of some people on the street as she passed."

"I can imagine." Said Steve.

"So, one day, she is babbling away, rushing from one spot to the other in the supermarket, talking all that came to her head about the characters in the boxes, the things she knew about the molecules or 'whatever' of the cleaning supplies. Emma and me each keeping an eye on her and the other kids, but mostly paying attention to our own shopping lists. After some time its hard to keep track of all the things she says."

Helena chuckled silently, as if just the memory made her laugh.

"Bella, she was about four, dressed in her purple overalls and with a hat with bunnies on it, cute as can be, just looks at one of the boxes of cereal and screams. Screams." Helena laughed once, then looking at Steve. "Scared the hell out of us. Then she turned to Emma and says: 'Oh, good, you're paying attention. Here, we're buying this. It's so ugly, I need it.' She grabs the cereal box, walks over to the cart and puts it in, then continues rushing from one spot to the other, babbling about what she blabbed about."

Steve knew that it was probably not funny for the girl's mother at the time, but he laughed now. Vision too.

"Then this older woman, who was near, and probably got startled as much as we did, looked at Bella with a frown and said: What's wrong with that girl?"

"Let me guess, big mistake?" Asked Steve.

"Huge." Said Helena. "Emma turned to her with a glare that could turn armies to stone and said: 'There's nothing wrong with her. And you better get the hell out of here before I grab that dead raccoon you call hair, rip it from your head, shove it down your throat and knock your fucking lights out!'"

Vision laughed and Steve, even never seeing Emma, could already imagine the tone. He just put Bella's inside the image of the woman he had on his head.

"That does sound a lot like Bella." Said Vision, with a small smile.

Helena nodded.

"The woman called security, said Emma was threatening the costumers." Said Helena. "Emma just raised her head high and said: 'I did, so what? You come over here, and I'll do it again if you want repeats.' Bella, I'm not even sure she knew what the problem was, walked over to Emma's side, placed her hands on her hips, an EXACT copy of her mother's pose, and sticks her tongue out, then said: 'Yeah, if you want repeats!'" Helena laughed, shaking her head. "I almost died of embarrassment, wanted a hole to open up on the ground and swallow me whole."

"That personality mixed with Tony's..." Said Steve, shaking his head.

"I know. You want to kill the girl, but can't help but love her." Said Helena.

"She can be very frustrating." Said Vision, agreeing with both of them.

"Yeah." Said the woman.

"Look, Ms Perez, since Bella is not showing up any time soon, care to get a tour?" Asked Steve.

"I'm already caffeinated, so sure." Said the woman.

"I'll join you." Said Vision. "I have a lot of questions."


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Bella wasn't one to stop her working to eat or drink something that wasn't coffee. But she had learned that Super Fan was shaping up to be a mother hen. Even if it was a mother hen that was sarcastic and callous at times. Despite the awesome qualities, Bella did hate when the woman threw paper balls at her head to call her attention.

"Eat." The woman says, not looking away from her computer.

"Bite me."

"No thanks, you're too skinny and young for me." Retorted the woman, in the deadpan tone Bella appreciated so much over the bleeding heart ones other people in the Compound gave her.

Bella smirked, not looking away from the tablet on her hand as she threw the paper ball back and missed the target by several feet.

"Wow, your aim sucks." Said Maria, with a laugh.

"Well, one cannot be perfect. You found my one flaw." Said Bella, and besides not having agreed with the woman verbally, she reached for the bowl of cereal, or of milk with something that once had some sort of shape integrity floating in it. She ate about four spoons full of the thing and placed it back where it was originally.

She continued working, cursing out loud that she had been forced to stop the night before. Not really loud, just enough for Super Fan to hear and roll her eyes at her.

There was so much data. So much she had to analyse in other to know what to ignore and what to mark as important.

It was good because there was so much to occupy her mind that the whole 'Stark's secret daughter' thing did not have room to bug her mind.

Hours passed.

Another paper ball to her face.

"Take a break."

"Are you going to do this all the time now? This is your new game?" Asked Bella.

Another paper ball and no verbal answer.

"I'm busy." Said Bella.

"Go get yourself lunch." Said Maria. Bella threw one of the paper balls back. It was hilariously off target. The woman chuckled. "Girl, you can't aim to save your life."

"I prefer more intellectual pass times." Said Bella.

"Translation, born without any physical skills."

"I don't need them. I'm a genius. I can build something that has them." Said Bella.

A paper ball.

"Stop trying to distract me. You need a break and some food." Said the woman.

"Stop mothering me." She said.

"I'm managing you." Retorted Maria. "Now get your butt out of here. Or you won't be able to work anymore."

"Who knew that you would end up having such a hard-on for blackmailing people, Super Fan?" Said Bella. "You might want to add that to your online dating profile, right after 'has unhealthy obsession for 15 year old girl'." She didn't want to, but until she was sure Maria wouldn't really cut her access to her work, she would do some of the things the woman said. Just because she was pressed for time, the Serpent wouldn't be around for long. She couldn't waste time.

"What did you expect from a spy?" Asked the woman, in a deadpan tone.

Bella stood up from the chair, leaving the tablet there, so no questions would be asked and left the office.

"It's just your kind of creepy." Said Bella, sending a fake wide smile to the woman, who rolled her eyes at the girl.

"Eat something, drink plenty of water and take a few minutes to rest." Said the woman, reminding the girl of the multiple times Helena and Tomas had told her the same thing.

She was still cursing the woman under her breath when she got in the kitchen. She realized the time it was when she saw the number of people there.

Darn, it was actually time for lunch.

"Wow, there is a first time for everything." Said Natasha, the first one to notice her. "Just in time, food it's warm."

Eating, with people. Heck no.

"Just getting some water." She said.

"You should eat something." Said Helena, who was standing close to Vision near the large table where the team ate together. "Your doctor was very specific about your diet."

Bella didn't look at Tony, the man near Sam by the other end of the counter. She just couldn't handle looking at him and starting to think about things she just could not handle to think about.

"He also thinks his hair isn't an offense to the human race. Clearly his judgment can't be trusted." Said Bella, moving to the fridge to get a bottle of water and whatever she could get her hands on to eat away from there.

Curse Super Fan, sending her to the kitchen and being the one person on that side of the compound not in that room.

"Bella." Said Helena in her tone that was half chastizing and half a request for her to rethink her words.

"I stand by the masses with human hair against that thing." Said Bella.

"How bad can it be?" Asked Rhodes, who apparently had a break from the military missions to come back here. She just appreciated he hadn't greeted her with the usual things people said.

"Hellish." Said the girl, closing the fridge, in her hands, a bottle of water and a container filled with the remains of what looked like some kind of pasta salad.

"Don't you want to eat something that has been prepared now?" Asked Wanda, as she got food on her plate.

"Nope." Said Bella. "Don't feel like reenacting a Coke holiday commercial."

She turned around, leaving the kitchen as fast as she could without running. She tried to ignore the footsteps behind her. She tried to force her mind to focus on the data she had been going over.

Not the face of the man who now was connected to her in a very public way. A man who the entire world was asking answers from. Demanding to know her name. Her face.

The steps followed her.

She closed her eyes, telling herself it was stupid to start panic over it. It wasn't some stranger wanting information on her. It was someone she knew. Someone who wasn't media.

Stark's secret daughter. Who was she? What was her name? Who was her mother? Where was she all this time? What did she like? What does she look like? Why did she look like a Frankenstein teenage edition?

Oh, crap. She couldn't stop thinking about it. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did she go to the kitchen, why did she look at his face? Why did she allow her brain to begin thinking of it?

She stopped, her breath getting faster, she dropped the things in her arms on the ground and rubbed her face forcefully.

Ears. Think about the meetings that were still to be tracked. Yes. Meeting to pass information in person because the Serpent is a son of a bitch who didn't use computers or phones.

"Bella?"

She flinched, looking ahead and seeing Helena showup in her line of sight.

"Breathe, Bella." She said, not needing to ask when the girl was starting to feel overwhelmed. She had known the girl for long enough to know when she was on the verge of a panic attack. The woman took the bottle and the container of food from the floor. Bella noticed the fork on the woman's hands. Right, people used utensils.

"In."

Media, cameras. People screaming questions at her.

"Out."

Her hand gripping Maria's shirt because it was the only thing she had in order not to lose it as she forced her way through a crowd of people who had no business being there in the first place.

"In."

She hated that Stark had brought Helena there. She didn't want the woman there to find out that the girl's weird was different from her normal weird. She couldn't have her work interrupted.

But now, she wanted nothing more than to hear that familiar voice talking to her. The same voice she heard after the fire, telling her to breathe in and out. Just like now.

"That's right, pequeña." Said the woman, close enough not to have to talk loudly, but not too close to make the girl freak out over that. "You're doing great."

'Data. Focus on the data, Bella.' Her brain told her. Let the breathing to Helena, she would tell you what to do and when.

A few minutes and one successfully avoided panic attack later, she looked at the woman, both silent.

"Better?" Asked the woman.

She nodded.

"Let's find a quiet spot to eat this." Said the woman. "I haven't seen where you're sleeping yet."

Bella wanted to work, but she was somehow not wanting to ditch Helena just yet. It was one of those moment when she contradicted herself that made her want to hit her head on a wall or table.

She nodded again, walking ahead and the woman by her side at a distance that wasn't too far or too close.

"Oh, this is cute." Said the woman when they arrived in what had been designated as Bella's room. "Look, there are bunnies on the pillowcases."

Bella didn't say anything sarcastic back. Mainly because, for the life of her, she couldn't find a single defect in the bunny patterned fabric on her bed. Curse those fluffy animals and their adorableness in all states of visual representation.

She just sat on the chair by her table, getting the water bottle and container of food, opening it and starting to eat slowly. It didn't matter how her stomach was churning, she just wanted to have her mouth busy to discourage conversation.

* * *

Helena knew when to keep her distance from Bella, the girl got overwhelmed easily by the presence of others. She also knew that, sometimes, the girl needed someone near, but would NEVER ask for it.

Until the girl finished eating and relaxed a little, she occupied herself in looking around the girl's room. She had to hand it to Stark. The details were very Bella. The color scheme, the small bunnies here and there. Except for the lack of an absurd amount of electronics carefully organized, it was like the room the girl had in her parents' home.

Money issues never allowed Helena and Thomas to make her room in their house so 'Bella'.

This was good. She could use comfort like this. The woman finally made it to the nightstand, seeing the picture with the folding mark on it. The Christmas picture Emma sent, she couldn't exactly remember the year. She remembered laughing at the clear discomfort in George's and Bella's face. They hated getting all 'dolled up' for pictures (George's words), but the man would never say a word against a gift from Emma, namely the awful sweater. Christmas wasn't Christmas without ugly sweaters, used to say the woman. Helena hadn't seen Bella smile like that in ages.

She looked back at her. The girl looked better now. So it was probably safe to talk to her.

"Want to go for a walk?" Asked Helena, moving towards the girl.

"No." She said. "I have something else in mind already, thanks."

The girl got up and left pretty quickly. Helena wasn't sure why, but she didn't like how the girl said that. Something was off.

Maybe she was just paranoid, looking for a crack on the girl's poorly kept together armour, looking for more signs she was loosing it. Like on the hall.

She left the room and continued spending the day with Vision, talking to him. It was beyond funny to her listening to the grown man call Bella 'big sister.'

Hours passed and passed. The girl didn't show up again. It wasn't until later that she found out that she was in the office with Miss Hill. What she was doing there she had no idea, but to Bella to choose to be in the presence of someone else was rare. She hoped it was good too.

But then it started getting late, really late. She knew Bella didn't like bedtime rules, but 2 am was too much.

She asked for directions and went to Hill's office. She knocked on the door and waited for the woman to say that she could come in.

"Hi." She said, getting in. "I'm Helena, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Said the tired looking woman sitting at the table, apparently swamped with work.

Bella was sitting on a char by the other desk in the space. Eyes closed and looking to be deep in thought. Helena had seen that face before, the face of 'I'm working on things you'll never understand and will NOT stop until I'm done.'

It was kind of funny how she just got so lost in her mind. Her son used to try and draw on Bella's face, Helena had to keep an eye on him. He even managed to do it once. She was in the middle of trying to figure if she should at least bring the girl some water to drink when a thought struck her.

Why the hell was she working so hard on something? She wasn't supposed to be working at all.

"What is she working on?" She asked Hill, turning to her.

Her face must have told the woman all she needed to know. Because she looked serious, thinking, leaning back on her chair.

"Something I hope can give her some closure." Said the woman. "Close the door. We should talk."

* * *

Hill was expecting a type of reaction, but the glare the woman threw at her when she finished talking, was impressive. And to say that having worked with Fury was something.

"We are all trying to keep her safe and you let her do this?!" Asked Ms Perez, her beautiful face angry.

Maria looked at the girl in the corner of her office, still lost in the world of numbers in her head.

"The Serpent, the arms dealer we're after, is the one that made the sale between the factory that fabricated the weapon and the terrorist group that used it to kill George Allan in that market that day." She said.

Helena Perez was silent for a moment after that.

"So why didn't you just took care of it yourself? Isn't that what you guys do here?" Asked the woman.

"You really think she would hang back?" Asked Maria. "I know an obsession when I see one. Besides, for years people tried to get this one, no one even got a gender. Bella, being good for her or not, has an act for seeing things in ways that are unexpected, which leads to her finding clues no one ever thought of. I think that, if someone can find this bastard, she can."

The woman nodded.

"So you're using her."

"No. I want everyone to get what they want. She finds closure. A criminal is caught, and a lot of weapons that were going to hurt a lot of people would be retrieved." She said, firm in her decision.

The woman shook her head.

"No. I don't agree with you. I don't think is going to help to get this guy, is just going to allow her to keep doing this instead of dealing with the things that happened to her."

A moment of silence passed as the two women looked at each other.

"Now what?" Asked Maria. "I think it will help. And we are making progress."

Helena sighed.

"She's using this to avoid thinking of the whole 'Stark's daughter' thing." Said the girl's former legal guardian.

"Yes." It wasn't a question, but she answered it anyway.

Helena shook her head.

"It might be helping numb it now, but not in the long run." Said the woman, her dark eyes decided. "I've seen this before. Made this mistake before, when Emma died."

Maria still thought she was right, but she respected the other woman's opinion.

"Well, she's working on it." Said the agent.

"I don't think she should be." Said Helena. "So I'm telling her to stop."

Maria shook her head. The woman knew the girl enough to know it wouldn't work. The look on her face told her that Helena Perez also knew that it would be a disaster.

"Well, and when that does not work, I'm telling her father this and he will find a way to keep her from doing it." Said Helena.

Tony was going to kill her, but Maria knew that when she started helping Bella with this investigation.

"Alright." Said Maria. "Can't stop you."

Helena took a deep breath, looking back at the girl, whose fingers were now moving as if she was typing something.

"This is going to be bad." Said Helena, standing up.

Before she could do anything though, Bella jumped out of her seat, eyes wide.

"That's it!"

The girl grabbed her tablet, typing on it furiously.

"Bella." Called Helena, but the girl didn't even seem to notice. "Bella!"

"I can't believe it." Said the girl, putting the tablet down. Looking at the wall blindly.

That sounded like quite a breakthrough. Maria grabbed a paper from the pile next to her, crumpled it on a ball and threw it at the girl, who finally snapped out of her head.

"What-Oh shit." She said, her eyes finally landing on the woman who had been there for minutes already.

"Yes." Said Helena, looking down at her with her arms folded in front of herself. "Whatever you're doing, it stops now, young lady."

Bella's eyes were wide, but they changed back to a normal look. Then to a glare.

"Helena, I love you, but not even if GOD came down to tell me HE exists and that I had to stop, I would do that." She said. "Not this time."

"Not ANY time, Bella. You always do this! Something that scares you happens, you dive in this obsession of yours!" Retorted the woman. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"When I die, it will be on my terms! Doing what I need to do!" Exclaimed the girl, getting up from the chair and looking like an animal about to bolt. She looked at Maria, and the agent saw the deep betrayal in her eyes before it was replaced by anger.

Maria didn't want to admit that it hurt to see that. Because there was no way she would admit to allowing her emotions to getting the best of her. After years of looking after her from afar, and now doing it in person... it was hard to lie to herself.

Bella looked back at Helena.

"I'm doing this." Said the girl, her hands in fists. "No matter what."

"No, you're not." Said Helena. In a tone of a parent who had to handle teenagers and knew the word 'final' when it was necessary.

Bella took a deep breath. And damn that look in her eyes meant trouble.

She grabbed the tablet, then she rushed out of the room.

* * *

Tony was giving himself some time off from the whole planning he, Pepper and his PR department were doing to put a lid on the media frenzy that started when that stupid motel manager had tweeted Tony had a daughter.

It was a lot of work that he had to take a break from. A break that took form when he locked himself for hours, working on his lab alone. That was nice. And the long shower was relaxing, the sleeping at human hours resting.

The being woke up in the middle of the night... not so nice. The why was enough to make his ulcer worse.

He was confused when he met Helena that late at night in the common room. Vision was there too because despite having a room, he had a thing for floating in the space there, napping above ground. He was doing less and less, but it still happened.

"Helena, I know you're not from this side of the country, but you can't be in such a different sleep schedule." He said, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mr St- Tony." Said the woman, correcting herself, probably remembering he asked her not to be too formal. "But I think that we should not give her the time to get herself in more trouble."

He didn't need to think long to know who 'her' was.

"Oh dear, what happened now?"

"She's 'working'."

"What?" Asked Vision, confused. "But she doesn't even have internet access."

"She does have Internet access." Said Helena.

"How?" Asked Tony. He made sure to give her a phone that had no way to be connected to the internet without tools she had no access to.

"How she got it, she didn't tell me. But she got it and has been working for a few days now." Said a new voice, he turned around and saw Hill coming out of the kitchen a mug on her hands. "Found out when I went to that motel to get her actually."

"You knew about this?!" He asked.

"Yes. I have been helping her since then, actually." Said the woman, in a serious tone.

"We are all trying to keep her safe, away from these dangerous people and you're helping her run into danger now?!" Asked Vision, outraged, before Tony had the chance. It was actually the first time the man saw the android this emotional. It was very odd.

"I've been helping her get the guy who sold the STARK weapon that killed the man who raised her." Said the woman. "I think it will help her."

"And I think that it will make her worse than ever." Said Helena.

Tony rubbed his eyes again, taking a deep breath. Vision actually took over the talking again. It was very weird to someone to beat to the talking part, but given that the android had taken to calling the teenager 'big sister', it wasn't really surprising.

"She should not be doing this at all! It's dangerous. She already has many criminals putting rewards for her head." Continued Vision.

"This one is the Serpent. No one knows who this person is." Said Hill. "Bella has been after this one ever since George Allan died. It's the one that started all of this, it will give her closure."

"Or it will just bury her deeper." Said Helena. "I've seen that obsessed look before, it's not a sign of healing."

"Stop pretending this is about her 'healing', Maria." Said Tony, his voice harsh. "This is about getting the Serpent and that's it!"

The exhaustion was gone, now he was filled with anger and frustration and that was it.

"This is keeping her a secret once you found out she was 'Robin Hood' and did your job easier for you. This is keeping from me that she was my daughter when you found out because it would be better for you and Fury." He continued. "This is you putting your job above her safety. We talked, you AGREED that she had to stop for good. But as soon as she dangled another criminal in your face, she wasn't a girl anymore, she was one of your agents."

He expected Maria to have an impassive expression and avoid explanations. The professional to the end.

The angry expression and the slamming of the cup in the coffee table were a surprise.

"You didn't see her face when she begged, BEGGED me to let her take this one down. Because she needed to." She said. "But of course, you didn't see it, because I was the one who told her the media found out she existed. Like Vision and I, and Sam and Cap are the ones who deal with her, instead of you. And I get it, really, I do, she hates you. But how DARE you judge me for making a 'parenting' judgment call when you THREW at me the responsibility of being a parent for her!" She took a few steps closer to him. "I may have done a few things you don't agree to, but I did what I thought was best. I was the one cleaning up after her when she was on the streets, making sure that those hit men didn't find her, didn't send her head in the mail to their bosses. I've been taking care of her since she first appeared on my radar. So you don't accuse me of not caring."

He was actually a little taken aback by her outburst. Even if it was a very mild one compared to normal peoples, it was huge for her. Maria played her emotions very close to her chest. And if it were about anything else, he would have taken it easy with her, just because she felt her position so strongly.

But this was Bella. And her actions were flustrating and tiring in their single mindlessness of always working on pissing off dangerous people. It was exhausting for him, because not only she always brought problems, she was abrasive and hurtful every single time she engaged him. It just kept taking and taking from him, without giving nothing in return but the very flimsy reassurance that she 'at least' hadn't been killed yet.

Maria's opinion went against his only reassurance that held together his still under construction identity as a parent.

"I hope that helps you sleep at night when she gets herself killed." He said. "Now... I'll fix this mess, what's another one, anyway?" He asked in a bitter sarcastic tone. "So please, for the sake of me maintaining my self control, stay away from me. Just get the others to work on getting this Serpent, it's what you want most anyway."

He walked away form the group, breathing deeply just to control his emotions. That were going to get out of control anyway because he was going to meet the source of his ulcer pains and headaches lately.

The door was open and there wasn't anyone in there.

"FRIDAY, where's Bella?" He asked.

"She is currently in the armory." Came the answer a moment later.

"What?!" He asked. "How did she get in there?"

"I don't know, sir. The door was unlocked using a valid command." Said his computer program that he relied on every single day. But that was what FRIDAY was, a very complex coded program. And Bella was a genius who knew them inside and out.

He took a deep breath, moving fast in the direction of the armory.

Bella was against guns. She hated them. Why was she in the armory? It didn't make sense.

"Sir, I have taken the liberty of calling the security and the nearest team members. Bella took a few of Barton's explosive arrows and is dismantling one." Said FRIDAY.

He was running now.

Being in the middle of the night did make the way clear, but it made sure that there were not a lot of people who could stop her. He cursed how big this place was, how far he had to run.

"Sir-"

An explosion sounded, cutting off FRIDAY's voice.

He knew what was coming, emergency protocols kicked in. The main lights were off, and the emergency ones were turned on. An alarm sounding loud.

* * *

Bella shouldn't feel betrayed, she shouldn't have expected anything from Hill. But she did.

She had just figured it out where the next meeting was, when it would be and who would be showing up from the buyer's side of things.

It was the best, probably only, chance of finding the Serpent. THE moment she had been waiting for years. Helena would not stop her now.

NO one would.

A plan came to her mind in a flash. Small ideas she had been piling up for days got together in an almost finished plan that was going to get her out of there.

It was now or never. She went to her room, getting the shoulder bag, she hadn't taken the useful things in the room out of it yet. Got other things in and ran out of the room. Going to the garage. It was the middle of the night, no one was around. And she got the tools she needed without any mechanic naggin her.

From there, she ran to the 'getting ready for missions' part of the Avengers' HQ. The armory was her first stop.

Her life was destroyed by weapons. But she needed an explosion in the next step of her plan.

Her heart was beating fast in her chest as she sped through the halls, like everytime she was on the streets and she had to come up with a plan in one second and put it on motion the next. No time to check, just to trust she was smart enough to figure out the obstacles and avoid them.

When she reached the armory, she took out the tablet. She had access to the Avenger's systems for long enough now to know how to open that door.

When the door opened, she scanned the shelves quickly. Something that was light enough for her to carry, built in a way she could dismantle as she ran and that had the amount of power to not kill her and do what she wanted.

Her eyes landed on the arrowhead with the cylindrical shape. Her mind, that had been dismantling things to look inside since she destroyed her rattle as a baby, quickly told her that it was the one she was looking for.

"Miss Allan, you are not permitted in this room." Came FRIDAY's voice.

Shit, someone had asked about her. Stark's computer girlfriend should not be paying much attention if the door was opened with a valid passcode. Which meant someone asked the AI to look for her location, pointing out the incongruent situation in the armory.

She rushed to the shelf with the arrows, grabbing two hands full of them, shoving them in her bag and rushing out of the armory.

"Miss Allan you are not allowed to take items from the armory." Came the annoying interruption again. "Please return them."

She wasn't hearing. She was rushing towards the quinjet hangar as her hands used the tools she stole to dismantle one of the arrows. The shoulder bag open as she quickly changed tools. She stabbed herself in the hand when the bradawl slipped.

She cursed loudly, stopping for a second from the pain. But she yanked the tool from her hand, with a sharp breath. Then continued running, working on getting the outer metal shell of that stupid slippery thing open.

When she finally managed to get it open, she was inside the hangar.

The quinjet open, 'ready for action.'

Dumbasses.

She went to the manual control panel that connected the user directly to FRIDAY and therefore all of the systems and protocols of the building. To be used only if you had a handprint (with a pulse) with enough clearance. She didn't. And to fake that would be harder than getting in the armory (dumb decision in her opinion, but she wasn't thinking of that now.).

It was a great thing she didn't need it.

She placed the dismantled explosive arrowhead in the bag, taking the hammer. Using the new tool to hammer the bradawl between the screen and the wall.

Despair and a strong first couple of hammerings, and the screen cracked and fell. She took the explosive part of the arrow and put it inside the hole. Using an empty space to secure it in place.

Now for the 'timer', a small piece of paper connected to the explosive and with the other end in contact with the sparkling end of the ripped electric wire.

It was hard to keep the paper dry with her hand dripping in blood, but she made it. Dry paper and sparks, equals fire. Fire and explosives, equals an explosion in the system that connected straight to FRIDAY and the HQ's 'brain'.

And THAT, meant time to reboot.

She was running to the Quinjet before the explosion sounded, she was already in the ramp when it did.

She wasn't really prepared to how loud that was. Or how her mind flashed back to the night her house caught fire when she saw the flames from the corner of her eye.

She didn't freeze, though. She would be able to be completely amazed by that later. At that time, she ran inside the aircraft she had been in only one time before. And hurt, upset, in pain as she was then, she DID have eyes, and she DID look around. She had read enough manuals from all sorts of vehicles to know where the general location of the things she needed were.

She ran to the front, to the communication controls. If she was the one building this thing, she would place the manual override to FRIDAY's connection to the plane near it. And a couple of controls over there it was. She sat on the pilot's seat, turning on the aircraft. FRIDAY was offline now, she couldn't stop her. Then she cut the connection completely, using the manual override, to prevent STARK from stopping her when the AI did manage to recover.

Next step close the ramp. Then she went to the weapons systems.

Taking a deep breath, she used the weapons of the craft to explode the gate away. They were closed because FRIDAY couldn't open it and because the emergency systems would have started lockdown.

Her hands were shaking, one hurting, her heart beating so fast she couldn't hear almost anything else.

The smoke cleared out, the path was clear.

Stark made things so user friendly and easy to operate. Even the Quinjet.

The aircraft was moving a second later, in the air two seconds later.

High in the air, she turned on the cloaking systems.

She held to the controls, breathing hard.

Was someone following her? She wondered, looking at one of the screens. No, no one. Not even Vision.

Time passed, she was tense at the controls. Had she done it? Escaped Stark's super secure location with a half-assed plan?

"Holy shit this stab hurts." She said, taking one of the hands, the normal one, from the controls, tucking it under her arm, hopefully the pressure from her arm and torso would be enough to stop the bleeding.

More time passed.

No one was following her.

She did it. She could barely believe it.

"Holy shit." She said, taking a deep breath. "One day I'm going to run out of luck." She was smart, sure, a genius. But she had to face it, she was one lucky bitch.

It was mostly intellect and incredible talent, but luck had a part in it.

She took another deep breath and looked at the map on another screen. She needed to know how far she was from her destination.

"Oh, crap. I'm going in the wrong direction." She exclaimed to no one. Using the controls to turn the ship around to the complete opposite direction. That was embarrassing.

She was flying in the right direction for ten minutes already when she remembered to turn off all methods of tracking her tablet and phone. It would be ridiculous if she found a way to steal a fucking PLANE and forgot to make her electronics untraceable.


End file.
